FRANK LAMPARD

The former England midfielder picks his premier team-mates and opponents at international level – and yes, Stevie G gets the nod...

MANUEL NEUER “He’s always linked closely to me, as I often get asked about the goal that never was against him at the 2010 World Cup. I actually bumped into him on holiday last year and we had a joke about it by the pool. He was open to the fact that it was a goal – easy to say years after the event! He’s a fantastic goalkeeper, good with his feet and it’s just the size of him: I took a penalty against him in the 2012 Champions League Final and it seemed like he filled the goal. He was a big part of Germany’s 2014 World Cup success – you can’t win it without a great keeper.”

RIO FERDINAND “Rio always played well at major tournaments. I saw him develop at West Ham: he was an attacking midfielder, but then learned all of the attributes required to become a world-class central defender. He had defensive intelligence, combined with speed. Players usually have one or the other – Rio had both. Strikers would try to beat him with a bit of skill or pace, but he could match it.”

ANDREA PIRLO “I can remember the team talk before England played Italy in 2014: how Pirlo was ageing and slow without the ball, so we had to put pressure on him and run off him. But he dominated that match. His chipped penalty against us at Euro 2012 was audacious, but being a friend of his now, after playing with him at New York City, I understand it as he’s such a cool customer. He was the master when Italy won the 2006 World Cup.”