Jason McAteer has become the latest in a string of ex-pros to declare Steven Gerrard the best player in the world.
The former Reds wing-back agrees with Zinedine Zidane and Gary McAllister that Liverpool's skipper is now peerless.
"When a player like Steven Gerrard, arguably the best player in the world at the moment, gets space then he'll hurt you all day long.
"You can't really compare him to Lionel Messi because they both influence the game in different ways.
"The closest to Steven Gerrard at the moment is probably Kaka - and I would say Gerrard is above him in the best player ratings.
"He influences the team all over and it's not just about the goals. It's what he does off the ball, his movement and the way he brings players into the game."
Despite waxing lyrical about Gerrard, McAteer believes Liverpool's current run of 13 goals in three games is a real team effort.
He said: "If you look up and down the spine of Liverpool's team you've got Reina playing fantastically well - then there's Carragher, Gerrard and Torres.
"When those four players are on their game they'll influence the rest of the team. Aurelio has been absolutely brilliant in the last four or five games and Riera played fantastically well on Sunday. We know all about Dirk Kuyt too. The whole team has played collectively."