Which European composer was regarded as a great contemporary of Beethoven, Luigi Cherubini or Charles Gounod?
Luigi Cherubini:  Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries. Charles Gounod: Charles-François Gounod (] ; 17 June 181817 or 18 October 1893) was a French composer, best known for his "Ave Maria," based on a work by Bach, as well as his opera "Faust".
Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries.