The ex-Real Madrid midfielder jumped to the defence of Steven Gerrard.

Zinedine Zidane has had his say on Sir Alex Ferguson’s outlandish claim that Steven Gerrard was not a “top player” – the ex-Real Madrid man hit back at the former Manchester United boss.

Zidane was one of the best midfielders of his generation. Similarly, Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as one of the best managers in footballing history.

However, they disagree with their opinions on Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. Zidane faced Gerrard in just one competitive game – England vs France at Euro 2004.

But he has been fairly open about his admiration for the Englishman. In contrast, the ex-Manchester United boss was less than complimentary towards Gerrard in his book, which was released in 2013.

Ferguson insisted that Gerrard had never been a “top, top player”, to the surprise of many – Zidane included.

However, given its close proximity to Ferguson’s United career, club rivalry may have impacted his opinion.

The Frenchman, who at the time was a sporting director at Madrid, hit back at the claims, according to the Mirror in 2013.

“For two or three years, Steven Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world,” explained Zidane.

“Gerrard has been loyal to Liverpool throughout his career – which is great for them – but if he had wanted to leave four or five years ago, then every top club in Europe would have,” he continued.

“Alex Ferguson is obviously one of the most successful coaches the game has ever had,” Zidane added.

“But I did find his comments about Steven Gerrard very strange. To say he is not a top player is wrong.”

However, Ferguson and Gerrard’s relationship looks to have improved over a decade on from the comments.

Steven Gerrard and Zinedine Zidane share mutual respect (Credit:Getty)

In May 2024, the Liverpool legend revealed how he had sought advice from Ferguson in the days that followed his Aston Villa sacking. Gerrard admitted that being sacked by Villa in 2022 “knocked his confidence”.

“I spoke to a lot of managers around it,” he told the Telegraph.

“I went to see Alex Ferguson for a couple of hours, and he said, ‘Take your time, don’t jump into anything. Take your time and process it, analyse it’.

“And that is what I have done. But it has not affected my ambition. I didn’t have any targets when I set out on this different journey.”

Gerrard had a few months out of the game before returning to management in July 2023 – he joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.

It was reported that he had signed a two-year contract extension at the club in January 2024.