Barcelona midfielder Xavi has chosen an all-time UK Champions League XI and said three of his picks -- Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney -- could happily have played for Barcelona.
The Spain international, who selected the team for Shortlist magazine prior to Monday's draw for the UCL round of 16, picked Southampton's Fraser Forster in goal because his performances against Barca as a Celtic player included "some of the best saves I have ever seen."
He hailed ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes as "technically the best English player since Matt Le Tissier," and praised Scholes's former teammate Ryan Giggs for his "intelligence" in reinventing his game as he got older.
Xavi said of Liverpool skipper Gerrard: "John Barnes was one of the first midfield players I remember watching and appreciating his technical skill. Gerrard is just as good and, like Frank Lampard, has every attribute you need to be a Barcelona player".
#INSERT type:image caption:Xavi wished 'natural genius' Paul Gascoigne well, saying he had inspired him. END#
His defensive selections include Chelsea skipper John Terry, who he described as "a great leader for club and country" -- even though he said the Blues' approach to the game was "the opposite of what we stand for at Barcelona."
Analysing his attacking options, Xavi said Rooney "would have fitted into our [Barcelona's] style of play, no problem," and explained that he had included Arsenal's Theo Walcott because Barca "did not know how to deal with his pace" in a 2-2 draw at Emirates Stadium in 2010.
And he also voiced his support for another of his selections, former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne, describing him as "a natural genius."
"He was a real inspiration to me when I was a kid at La Masia and I just hope that, whatever issues he has, he is able to sort them out," he said.
Xavi's XI: Fraser Forster, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, John Terry, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Paul Gascoigne, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney.