Gerrard once stated that a former Liverpool player was better than Messi, despite the fact that he only scored five goals for the club.

Former Liverpool forward Joe Cole was once compared to World Cup winner Lionel Messi by Steven Gerrard

The England international joined the Reds on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2010.

Following a dismal season the previous season, the Anfield captain told Match of the Day magazine (as cited by The Guardian) that he hoped the West Ham youth product could help propel the squad ahead.

“[Lionel] Messi can do incredible things, but anything he can do, Joe can do just as good, if not better,” Gerrard remarked.

“He used to stun us in training by doing footy tricks with a golf ball that most players can’t even accomplish with a football.

Gerrard stated that Cole was superior to Messi.

Following the Argentine’s World Cup victory yesterday, it is fair to say Gerrard made a mistake with his words back in 2010.

At 35-years-old, Messi has undoubtedly entrenched himself as the greatest footballer of all time.

Cole was an excellent youth player, but he was never going to reach the heights of the world’s best.

The forward appeared in 281 games for Chelsea, scoring 40 goals and assisting on 43 others.

At Liverpool, though, he only made 42 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, during which he scored just five goals.

Although he was a Reds player for two and a half years, he spent one of those years on loan at LOSC Lille.

As a result, it can be concluded that Cole’s Anfield career did not work out as Gerrard had hoped.

However, his skill was evident; it was such a tragedy to see him afflicted with ailments.