According to Rio Ferdinand, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City is inferior to three other great midfielders in the Premier League. After ten years at the Etihad, where he solidified his reputation as one of the best players in English top flight history, the Belgian legend recently revealed that he would be leaving the team.
Where De Bruyne stands in relation to other midfield greats like Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard has long been a topic of discussion. Ferdinand went on to pick down his top three Premier League midfielders, even though he labelled all six as his “holy grail.”
Ferdinand Ranks Man United Duo Above De Bruyne
The ex-Red Devil also saved some praise for an international teammate
The former United defender stated that Scholes and Keane, two former teammates, were among his top three picks during an interview with the Rio Presents podcast. Rio justified his selection of the later of the two by claiming that Scholes’ league title victories were sufficient to secure a top three position.
When the former analyst said, “Scholes got eight Premier League titles,” he later corrected himself, saying, “I think it’s eleven.” He must enter just for that. Double figures.
Even though co-host Joel Beya questioned whether Keane was as talented as players like Vieira and De Bruyne, Ferdinand maintained that the Irishman, who was known for being as hard as they come, was as influential as any midfielder the Premier League had seen.
“I don’t know if there’s been more of an influential midfielder on a team for as long a period and as dominant as him [Keane],” Ferdinand said. “Vieira was not good. I adore Vieria. However, if we are discussing a man who has the ability to dominate a game. You should view the clips.
“I believe that those who watch him now as a commentator did not witness him play live. They’re not understanding. He was from an other world. He was at the highest level possible. The midfielder’s midfielder was Roy Keane.
As a result, Gerrard, one of the most devoted players in Premier League history, was given the final position. Even Beya appeared surprised by Ferdinand’s audacious assertion, which he used to emphasise his case.
“De Bruyne is not better than Gerrard on any day of the week.”
Statistics for De Bruyne in the Premier League against Scholes, Keane, and Gerrard
Stat
De Bruyne
Scholes
Keane
Gerrard
Games
281
499
366
504
Objectives
70
107
29
120
Helps
118
61
33
92
Win Percentage
68.68%
64.32%
60.1%
49.04%
Titles
6.
11.
7.
0
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