Former France [Images] captain Zinedine Zidane [Images] hailed Liverpool's Steven Gerrard [Images], who scored twice to thrash Zidane's former club Real Madrid [Images] in the Champions League [Images] match during the week, as the best player in the world.

"Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of (Lionel) Messi and Ronaldo [Images] but, yes, I think he just might be," Zidane was quoted as saying by the Guardian. "If you don't have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team.

"When we were winning league titles and European Cups at Real, I always said Claude Makelele was our most important player. There is no way myself, (Luis) Figo or Ra�l would have been able to do what we did without Claude and the same goes for Liverpool and Gerrard.

"He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You can't learn that - players like him are just born with that presence."

Photographs: Reuters