Ahead of Villarreal’s clash with Rangers on Thursday, Santi Cazorla admitted he’s always looked up to Steven Gerrard.

Cazorla’s new club face the Scottish side managed by Liverpool legend Gerrard in the Europa League, after the draw matched the two teams up in the group stages. The former Gunner admitted Gerrard was a ‘benchmark’ for him in his career to this point.

“He is a benchmark and I have measured myself against him,” the midfielder said in a pre-match press conference. “Steven has always been an idol of mine, since I was a kid. The second game I played in the Premier League was in Liverpool and I asked him for his jersey and I’ve treasured it since.

“The fact he’s coming here as manager of Rangers makes the game more special for me because I’ve always looked up to him. Apart from the games against Villarreal, which I hope he loses, I wish him well.”

It’s no surprise to hear that Cazorla looked up to Gerrard. Midfielders in his age group had plenty of great role models, in Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Patrick Vieira and the rest.

The Spaniard is finally making an impact on the pitch again this season, after so long on the sidelines with Arsenal. He started Villarreal’s first three games of the campaign, but sat on the bench for last weekend’s match, perhaps with Thursday’s Europa League clash in mind.

It’s great to see him playing football at last. He was always an exciting player to watch in England, and that’s no different now. You can see that in highlights of his performances so far:

Hopefully he can continue to stay fit and make progress, and have a positive first season with his new club.