'Stevie is Liverpool's greatest'

The now 35-year-old was establishing himself in the Anfield first team when whispers began of a young prodigy who would later become skipper for both club and country and inspire his local team to Champions League glory.

A watching substitute when Gerrard made his Liverpool debut against Blackburn 14 years ago, Thompson has tracked his former teammate's progress with interest and now ranks the midfielder as the Reds' greatest ever player.

"I think he's No.1, to be honest," Thompson told Liverpoolfc.com. "I'm not taking anything away from Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Ian Rush, players like that.

"But a lot of those players had better footballers around them to elevate them to a different level. Sometimes I think Stevie has played not with sub-standard players, but not world-class.

"What he has achieved at that level, I would definitely put him up there. In my eyes, I see him as No.1, especially with the Premier League being so tough now and the physical aspect of it.

"He is blessed with unbelievable genetics. When I first started seeing him play at Melwood he was only a little kid who used to like playing with the ball and making long passes.

"To see the change in him over the years, how physically developed he is now, how quick, strong and fit he has become - when you're watching him in some games, when he's up for it he looks like he's an avatar against normal, mortal beings.

"He's just an unbelievable footballer with unbelievable genetics and a great attitude to be the best that he can be. He's a credit to young lads. If there are any young lads at Liverpool looking to have mental strength and loyalty, you look no further than Stevie G."

If, as expected, he takes to the field against Newcastle on Sunday, Gerrard will clock up his 600th appearance for the Reds. So far, the 32-year-old has struck 152 goals - a record Thompson considers all the more impressive for the consistent standard of his performances.

"It's an unbelievable feat, to stay with the one club and be so loyal," added the ex-Red, who retired in 2007. "When I think about the amount of appearances I made in my career, at a stretch it was probably about 270 for different clubs, with injuries and stuff like that.

"So to play 600 appearances is just an unbelievable achievement. It's a credit to Stevie, the way he looks after himself. His performance level still to this day is just as good as when he first came on the scene.

"We knew he was going to be special and different class. For Stevie to have the impact he does is when games are more physical and high-tempo because he's so dynamic, quick and strong.

"Sometimes you look at him and think the pitches are too small for him, he's that good - he can get round the ground, he can cover each blade of grass. I think the Premier League is tailor-made for him and that's why it helps him be the player he is."

Given his raw talent, the name Gerrard was ringing around the club long before the midfielder eventually tasted competitive action, and Thompson recalled a physical change which allowed the Reds' No.8 to reach the next level.

He continued: "Obviously we had heard a lot about him from Steve Heighway, Dave Shannon and Hughie McAuley, always banging the drum about this young kid.

"He was always a 'get it and give it', never taking more than two or three touches, he could spot a long pass and he dominated games. But he was only small, he wasn't physically developed.

"Then the season finished and we came back for pre-season and it was like he had grown about four foot. He had filled out and he was a different person. He found an extra yard of pace from somewhere.

"The way he changed was unbelievable and his game changed - he became much more dynamic and much more suitable to the Premier League, so adaptable.

"Add that to his skill, flair, vision and shooting ability - when you mix that into a package it's very dangerous at that level."

It didn't take long for Gerrard to leave a mark on the top flight of English football and one game in particular during his formative years provided hints to Thompson that his teammate was a special player.

He explained: "I do remember one game, I think it was Arsenal at home, and he looked nervous, like he was getting a bit too overenthusiastic. He was playing against [Patrick] Vieira that day but he went out and gave Vieira a torrid time.

"I actually remember Patrick being sick of getting smashed by Stevie. Patrick Vieira was a World Cup winner, an international superstar and probably one of the biggest players in the Premier League at the time - Stevie was about 18 or 19.

"To go out and do that was an unbelievable achievement and I had a lot of respect for him after that game. I liked his early days, to see him coming through and see how excited he used to get by pulling a red shirt on.

"But then seeing him develop that further - he found a confidence where he knew players were intimidated to play against him and he used that and shoved it down players' throats. He started having more of an impact.

"I was watching Stevie G's top 100 goals and you think 'There's No.100, it won't get better than that' and each goal just gets better and better and better. You can appreciate what he actually is, who he is and what he does."