As the best two English central midfielders of their era, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard will forever be linked. But while their concurrent rise to prominence meant they were sometimes competing for the same position with England's national team, Lampard insists their relationship has always been good.

"It was something that was sort of built up in the media to a huge extent, because we were two players in the prime of our careers and at the top of our games for our clubs," Lampard told ESPN FC. "There was never a rivalry between us."

Lampard and New York City FC meet Gerrard's LA Galaxy on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) for the first time since their moves to MLS -- the latest meeting of their long, interlocking careers.

Gerrard captained Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005, upsetting Lampard and Chelsea in the semis. Lampard eventually won the competition with Chelsea in 2012 and also captured three Premier League crowns with the London club.

Despite their club successes, the seven England managers who capped the pair never really figured out how to effectively use them on the same field together. And the Three Lions never came close to winning a major honor with its so-called "golden generation" of talent -- one that in addition to Gerrard and Lampard included the likes of David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, John Terry and current Galaxy full-back Ashley Cole.

Former England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will play against each other for the first time in MLS on Saturday. Michael Regan/Getty Images

"There were multiple reasons for that," said Lampard, who will enter Saturday's contest at Yankee Stadium with nine goals in his past 10 games. "It wasn't for the want of trying. Maybe at times we could have had a system that worked better for us to get us both playing at our club form at the international stage."

Lampard, 38, made his international debut in 1999. Gerrard, now 36, followed a year later. Both players retired following the 2014 World Cup. Gerrard captained England during the first two group games. After England's elimination, Lampard wore the armband in the third.

It was in Brazil that the pair began to talk about the future. Both players arrived stateside a year later.

"We spoke at the last World Cup, that there was a good possibility of coming to play in MLS. We're close" Lampard said.

"Listen, we had a lot of battles on the pitch over the years but we always respected each other hugely. I've always kept in touch with Stevie. We speak fairly regularly and I look forward to seeing him after [Saturday's] game."

Congratulations Frank Lampard, 300 goals for club and country #Lampard300 pic.twitter.com/ZlMpQU6dHm - New York City FC (@NYCFC) August 19, 2016

As for the 15 years they spent as England teammates, Lampard said he's pleased with his 106 appearances and believes Gerrard, who was capped 114 times, feels the same way.

"I think we're both pretty content in the amount of caps that we got, and we have huge pride in the way we represented our country," he said. "It's just unfortunate, and we're both sad, that we didn't manage to win anything."

Lampard, who missed last year's game between NYCFC and LA through injury, said it was "great to be back and scoring goals" after the frustration of being on the sidelines for the early part of this season as well.

"That's what you're here to do," he added. "It's frustrating for any player who's not fit -- you can't answer questions on the pitch.

"I'm pleased -- I've played regular games, scored some goals, contributed and I am part of a team that is doing really well. Long may that continue."