Van Persie: Chelsea's Lampard was the best midfielder in EPL of my era

Robin van Persie has paid the ultimate ­compliment to Frank ­Lampard — by claiming the former England star was comparable to Zinedine Zidane.

Van Persie, who played in the Premier League with Arsenal and Manchester United when arguments raged over the relative ­midfield merits of Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, says the Chelsea legend was No.1.

He explained how ­Lampard – now manager of Championship promotion contenders Derby – ­possessed the same kind of vision as France World Cup winner Zidane. And, as the record-breaking Dutchman prepares to hang up his boots at the end of the season, he has revealed how he used to study the midfielder to improve ­himself as a player.

Van Persie said: “There was ­something fascinating about the way Frank Lampard operated on the pitch.

“For me, the art of being a great player is seeing things early and ­reading situations before others do. Luka Modric is brilliant at it – but Frank was the best of all.

“I heard that some coaches observed him once for 90 minutes and it was noted that Frank's eyes looked all around the pitch about 1,000 times. When I heard about that, I took it on board and decided to work on that aspect of my game intensively.

“Most players need time to control a ball when they receive it. Their head goes down for a second and then it comes back up again – and, in that moment, you lose two vital seconds of decision-making.

“And when you play against world-class players, you don't get that kind of space and time. You need to keep up the speed in the game. It is the only way you can surprise your opponents. So, during a match, I am always scanning the pitch for space, for ­positions, for opponents and for ­team-mates. The older I became, the more I did it.

“These days, I often play as a No.10 in midfield, which means I have three attackers in front of me.

“I have made assists for goals for team-mates by delivering my passes early. It is crucial to know who is where on the entire pitch. And because the situation is ­constantly changing, Lampard would look up a thousand times.

“It is very tiring. But if you have the picture in your head, that means you can play the fast ball. It is such an important option.

“Lampard used to do that – and I once saw Zinedine Zidane play the perfect match.

In 90 minutes, I saw that he never once lost the ball. Simply because he was always aware what was happening around him.”

Van Persie, 35, will bring the curtain down on his playing career when ­Feyenoord face Den Haag on May 12.

He returned to his hometown club ­just over a year ago, having progressed through the youth ranks of the Rotterdam giants before moving to clubs in England and Turkey.

The Dutchman spent eight years working under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup, before becoming a Premier League champion with Sir Alex ­Ferguson's United in 2013.

He also had two-and-a-half years with Istanbul club Fenerbahce.

Van Persie, who is Holland's record scorer with 50 goals in 102 appearances, said: “I have decided to call it a day because I think the time is right.

“I'd say I have done everything ­possible to get the most out of my career. I still train hard and live like a true professional. What will I miss? ­Everything. The whole build-up to games, the talks, the match, the battles.

“Then there is the fine line between winning and losing. That's what I'll miss most.”