Liverpool star Diogo Jota picks midfielder who left Arsenal for free as a better player than Steven Gerrard

Liverpool star Diogo Jota claimed that former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil was a better player than Reds icon Steven Gerrard. He made the claim in a recent challenge video with GOAL, in which he was given a pair of players and asked to pick the better one, knock-out style.

The winger moved to Anfield from fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported €44.7 million in September 2020. He has racked up 56 goals and 19 assists in 145 appearances for the Reds across competitions, lifting an FA Cup and two EFL Cup titles in the process.

Jota has had the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the world. He has shared the pitch with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, and with Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and, most notably, Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal.

Having been in close proximity to such legendary footballers, he was given the chance to choose between some of the best in history in GOAL's challenge video. The 27-year-old first picked Steven Gerrard over French icon Zinedine Zidane, an arguably controversial decision in itself.

However, when asked to pick between Gerrard and Ozil later in the video, he said:

"I might have to go with Ozil!"

In his prime, Ozil was arguably one of the best attacking midfielders on the planet. He enjoyed highly successful spells, first with Spanish giants Real Madrid and then with Premier League juggernauts Arsenal.

Overall, he bagged 114 goals and 218 assists in 604 senior games, a true testament to his impressive finishing and creative abilities. Ozil retired last summer with Istanbul Basaksehir but left a lasting legacy that inspired an entire generation of footballers, including Jota.

Liverpool's Diogo Jota reveals former coach Jurgen Klopp's message after his disallowed goal for Portugal against Czechia

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota revealed that former Reds coach Jurgen Klopp contacted him after he had a goal disallowed in Portugal's 2-1 win over Czechia at EURO 2024 (June 19).

Speaking about Klopp at a Portugal press conference, Jota said (via Mirror):

"He sent a message after the first game. He is a coach who doesn’t miss anything, he knows the moments when he should talk to the players. It was a word of support for my goal being disallowed and having a special meaning for me. But then we won the three points, that was the most important thing."

The Liverpool talisman will next be seen in action for Portugal against Turkiye in a high-stakes Euro 2024 clash at Dortmund's Westfalenstadion on June 22.