England and Liverpool captain Gerrard was chosen as the recipient of the FWA Tribute Award to mark his contribution to English football, with previous winners including Alan Shearer and George Best.

And Carragher, who has played alongside Gerrard since the latter made his first-team debut in 1998, spoke highly of the 32-year-old: "I think we are in the presence of the greatest player ever to play for Liverpool.

"People will say I am biased because we are good friends and because of the trophies we have won together, but it is a fair accolade to give him.

"There are guys like Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush, all world-class players, but the difference was they were in a world-class team - and Stevie has not played in a world-class team."

Gerrard has won the Champions League, Uefa Cup and two FA Cups for Livepool, while representing England 100 times.

The midfielder has played every minute of Liverpool's 23 league matches so far this season, scoring six goals, including a trademark long-range effort in Saturday's 5-0 win over Norwich City.

"Stevie's one strength is he has no weakness, he can run, tackle, pass and score goals. Football is a team game, but special players do special things at special times, and that is Steven Gerrard."