Jordan Henderson was this week described as the best midfielder in the world by Flamengo boss Jorge Jesus.
It was a statement that understandably raised some eyebrows. This the man who has been readily ridiculed by most of those outside of Liverpool for being a poor man's Steven Gerrard, better than Kevin De Bruyne, better than David Silva, better than Marco Veratti, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Really?
For context, the same man who claimed this has also this week been scolded by the president of his employers for criticising Flamengo of 'not knowing the true value of their players' following Reiner's £25.5 million move to Real Madrid.
So, we know he can be loose with his words. But let's entertain this notion for a minute.
Henderson is a very good player, there can be no argument. Under Jurgen Klopp he has made huge improvements too.
Looking at the numbers, though, it is hard to make a case for Henderson being the best midfielder in the Premier League, let alone the world.
The general consensus is that Kevin De Bruyne holds that accolade on these shores. The Manchester City playmaker has significantly more touches of the ball, shots and crosses than his Liverpool counterpart every game.
De Bruyne also has registered six more goals, 10 more assists and created over four times more chances than Henderson has this season.
Perhaps that reads harsh on the Liverpool captain, though, who after all operates in a totally different role which is illustrated by the fact he gets his own back on the City midfielder in terms of having more tackles, interceptions and recoveries this season.
Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman alluded to Henderson having similar qualities to De Bruyne, but trying to compare the two is difficult despite them playing in the same position.
Henderson does not have the cultured right foot of De Bruyne and is not the creative hub of Liverpool's team like the Belgian is to City. It is much easier to judge Henderson on what he is than what he is not.
And so it would probably be fairer, and more insightful, to look at how he matches up alongside the more defensive-minded midfielders in the Premier League.
In terms of tackles in the league this season, Henderson has completed 37 - more than Harry Winks, Ilkay Gundogan, Lucas Torreira, N'Golo Kante, Rodri and Ruben Neves - but he still comes in behind Scott McTominay and Wildred Ndidi in that department.
The 29-year-old's 17 interceptions this season is also far from spectacular with Ndidi registering 38 more than him while Jorginho has the second most with 41.
McTominay and Ndidi have both won over 100 duels this season as well, while Henderson has won just 68.
His aerial success rate of 68 per cent however is marginally better than most of the aforementioned players bar Winks and Rodri, who have 75 and 73.2 per cent respectively.
When it comes to clearances, again Leicester's Ndidi is the clear winner with 44 this season while Henderson has just 13.
His defensive stats are competitive with some of the best holding midfielders in the league, but they certainly do not suggest he is the No 1.
There are however things that Henderson does well which cannot be quantified. How can you measure the amount of pressing he does or how much of a leader he is on the pitch?
Arguably, there is no midfielder in the league that really does what Henderson does.
As an incredibly fit, hard-working, and versatile midfielder, he is perfectly-suited for how Jurgen Klopp wants his team to play.
His main job is to press the opposition and keep the ball moving, playing it out wide for either Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andy Robertson, who are the creative sparks in the team.
Inevitably, Henderson slips under the radar, but he is starting to receive the plaudits he deserves.
'I don't think I've seen him play consistently as good as this in his career,' Adam Lallana recently said.
'He is a selfless captain and is reaping his rewards by lifting all the trophies that are coming his way now and he won't want to stop there.
'He plays six, he plays eight, he sacrifices himself a lot of the time for this team.
'It's only right he is getting the recognition now that for me should have been coming his way for years.'
He has played in a number of different roles in Liverpool's midfield this season, but one thing that has been noticeable is his willingness to be more adventurous in his passing, which could be the reason for his slight decrease in accuracy from the past two seasons.
There are passes that we have seen him play this season that maybe two or three years ago he wouldn't have necessarily taken that option.
His long-pass assist for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal against Bournemouth is a perfect example.
Spotting his team-mates' run, he arrowed a beautifully-weighted pass over the top of the Bournemouth defence for Oxlade-Chamberlain to finish first time.
Henderson was a colossus in midfield in that game and actually had a lot of influence on Liverpool's play.
He had more touches than anybody else (160), played more passes (150) and provided the most in the opposition half (79) - highlighting his capability of playing further forward as well.
That is not the Liverpool captain's main strength - he is still being outperformed in terms of creativity by Youri Tielemans, N'Golo Kante, Joao Moutinho, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Rodri - but he has shown that he is more than just a backwards-and-sideways passing merchant.
He has developed into a jack-of-all-trades midfielder. Only this season, possibly as a result of Liverpool's dominance in the Premier League, has Henderson's advancements and usefulness truly come to light.
As things stand, he is well on course to start more matches, make more passes, and make more tackles than last season while he has already created more chances and scored the same number of goals.
If he's not the best midfielder in the Premier League, he is certainly in the running for most improved.
It is hard to argue Jesus' point about Henderson either way because it depends on your interpretation of what a midfielder is or should be.
Do you prefer a Henderson, a De Bruyne or an Ndidi?
De Bruyne is the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League while Ndidi is the best defensive one.
Somewhere in between them too is Henderson.
Perhaps an easier argument to make, is that Henderson is the best midfielder at what he does.
But I suppose that's another debate.