Who would you rather in the midfield of your dream team – Anderson or Steven Gerrard?
Exactly!
Anderson’s 21 goals in 261 career appearances is a return that’s not to be sniffed at plus Gerrard always lacked that God-given Brazilian flair possessed by the Canarinho prodigy.
Gerrard might make the dream team bench, of course, but good luck dislodging the midfielder who can do it all. Anderson can run, he can shoot, he can pass sometimes.
And when it comes to goals, let’s be honest, it’s all about quality rather than quantity.
Sure Gerrard found the net 186 times for Liverpool and Anderson scored on just nine occasions for Manchester United but the majority of Stevie G’s goals were tap-ins while Anderson reserved his ‘keeper-beating for golazos of the highest order.
Simply put, commitment makes Anderson a better midfielder than Gerrard, who retired on Thursday after a career as a passenger for club and country.
Another word for “retire” is “quit” and neither are in Anderson’s vocabulary as he didn’t hang up his boots like a coward. No! He’s still playing away for the Brazilian powerhouse Internacional.
More conclusive proof of Anderson’s downright superiority over his Merseyside counterpart, whose game was reportedly modelled on YouTube clips of Anderson from his time at Porto, comes with the disparity between their international accomplishments.
Steven Gerrard earned 114 caps for England over the years but, as we all know, anybody can walk into the England side.
Anderson, on the other hand, made eight meaningful appearances for Brazil about nine years ago and, as we also all know, the yellow jersey is reserved for the true greats of football.
There have been countless flops for England but you’d struggle to name any poor player who has togged out for Brazil.
And the trophy cabinet speaks for itself.
“I won everything at the club. I won four Premier Leagues,” Anderson ACTUALLY told ESPN Brasil. “A player like Gerrard, who like, played for Liverpool, a player who has history in world football, didn’t win one. And I achieve four playing for the club.
“I was world champion at the club. I was Champions League champion. I played three Champions League finals for the club.
“When I arrived at the club, all the players embraced me. They always joked with everyone. The guys there are very nice. To this day, I’m passionate for that club. It’s the number one in the world for me.”
