Swansea City midfielder Jonjo Shelvey admits he was Steven Gerrard's next-door-neighbour while they were both at Liverpool.
He remains full of admiration for Gerrard, and sees England's 105-cap talisman as a benchmark for all others to aspire to.
Shelvey said: "It will be a bit mad facing him as I was living next door to him in Liverpool.
"But I always said I wanted to play with him and against him before he retired, because if you play against him you can really judge yourself on where you are as a player.
"For me he has been the best player in this country for God knows how long, he is the complete midfield player."
