Gary Lineker has shared his opinion on who the better player was; Wayne Rooney or Paul Gascoigne.
Everton have staged a plethora of talented players across their glittering 146-year history and many have cemented their names in club folklore.
Lineker is one of the many examples having played for The Tofees for a season before being snapped up by LaLiga giants Barcelona in 1986.
The prolific forward scored a whopping 38 goals across 53 appearances during his Merseyside stay and helped them to win two Community Shields.
The BBC presenter was asked on The Rest Is Football podcast about a fellow former Everton maverick, Paul Gascoigne.
Whilst the pair never played together at Everton, they did on the international stage with England and at Tottenham Hotspur, so when tasked with the question of who was better, Gascoigne or Wayne Rooney, it made for a fascinating segment.
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Gary Lineker on who was better between Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne
Micah Richards opted for Rooney, citing his ‘longevity’ as the deciding factor whilst Alan Shearer chose Gascoigne.
The question came to Lineker, who answered: “They are very similar in many ways, in terms of their ability. Gazza was probably more of a dribbler.
“I should probably say Gazza, I played with him obviously for club and country and (he’s an) extraordinary human being.
“In terms of pure talent, as good as anyone I ever played with but having watched Wayne Rooney as well, different skills, different abilities, kind of similar personalities in some way.
“But both wonderful, wonderful players.”
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Wayne Rooney has the longevity
As Richards alluded to, the main factor that perhaps separates the pair is longevity, as Rooney performed at the highest level for a more sustained period, winning five Premier League titles and becoming Manchester United and England’s all-time top scorer, before former Spurs and current Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane took the latter record.
Though, whilst neither experienced success on the international stage, perhaps many would argue Gascoigne just notched.
Notwithstanding that, it’s an incredibly tough comparison and both will certainly go down as some of the finest talent England have ever produced.