Indonesian legend Hariyanto Arbi waxed lyrical Lee Chong Wei's technical brilliance and phenomenal footwork, hailing him as one of the greatest shuttlers of all time.

Hariyanto, who had won almost everything including the Thomas Cup, Asian Games and world championships, never played against Lee, but he held the former world number one in high regard and described in detail why he thought so.

“Firstly, Chong Wei’s technique was of the highest quality. He had a great leap and always seized his opportunity. Because of his fantastic footwork, he was capable of turning defence into attack in an instant.

“He was also a master of deceptive shots. Game-wise, I think Chong Wei and Lin Dan were equal. The only thing that separated them was their mental strength. If you have trauma of not beating certain players, it will show when you play them. Maybe that is why Chong Wei never became an Olympic champion.

“Even though he failed to win the Olympics and World Championships, Chong Wei is not a lesser player in my eyes. He was quality and his performances were always consistent,” Hariyanto told Indonesian daily JawaPos.com.

However, the 48-year-old ranked Lin Dan above Lee.

“Lin Dan was extraordinary, a player that possessed fantastic technique, court coverage and mental strength. He is the complete shuttler in every sense,” he added.

Besides the iconic duo, the others in Hariyanto’s list were Taufik Hidayat, Liem Swie King, Zhao Jianhua, Yang Yang, Ardy Wiranata and Kento Momota.

Hariyanto himself was regarded one of Indonesia’s finest singles shuttlers in the nineties among a talented crop that included Ardy, Joko Suprianto, Alan Budikusuma and current Malaysian singles coach Hendrawan.