Steven Gerrard didn't hesitate when naming the only two players he was 'scared' of during his legendary career

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said that he was 'afraid' of only two players during his playing career.

Gerrard spent 17 years at Anfield after signing his first professional contract, and played against some of the greatest players of all-time.

He lifted the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, although never got his hands on the elusive Premier League trophy.

He collected 114 caps for England, captained them at three major tournaments and scored a total of 21 goals.

Gerrard spent the final 18 months of his career with Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy, having decided to leave Liverpool at the end of the 2014/15 season after the expiry of his contract.

He had iconic rivalries with Manchester United and Arsenal, and pitted himself up against top European sides such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.

But Gerrard says there were only two players that he was ever 'afraid' of coming up against during his career.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror before the 2015 Champions League final between Juventus and Barcelona, he named Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the two players he never looked forward to facing.

Gerrard explained: "We're living in an era where Messi and Ronaldo are taking forward play to a level we've never seen before.

"Choosing between them is like having to choose between Pele and Maradona, because they are recording numbers that are incredible.

"They are the only two opponents I've been afraid of in my career, because they are the only two who have been operating on a different planet to everyone else. The reason I was scared of them is because they are deadly in the final third of the pitch.

"To sum him up in one word, Messi is a genius with the ball at his feet. You often have to make an impossible choice - either you have to foul him or accept he's going to go past you. And he scores goals from all angles.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi (starting sixth from left) were all named in the 2009 FIFPro Team of the Year (Image: Getty)

"Ronaldo is deadly from set pieces, deadly in the air, scores from long-range right down to the six-yard box and he's got a physique to die for."

At the time, Messi and Ronaldo were still El Clasico rivals at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

Messi, much like Gerrard, has since decided to make the move to the MLS after a stellar career in Europe, which encompassed a spell at French giants PSG.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, now plays his club football at Al Nassr and, at 39 - two years older than Messi - he has indicated that he isn't ready to hang up his boots just yet.