On Sunday, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk once again showcased his exceptional defensive skills by frustrating Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. This 2-0 victory not only moved Liverpool nine points clear at the top but also 11 points above four-time-in-a-row champions City. Ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher took to social media to declare that Van Dijk is “the best centre-back we’ve ever seen in the Premier League”.

Justifying the Transfer Fee

Van Dijk, 33, has more than justified the world-record £75m Liverpool paid Southampton to sign him in 2018. He has helped the Reds win the Premier League and Champions League titles. In his 210 Premier League games for Liverpool, he has won 148, with a remarkable 70.5% win ratio among centre-backs. Only Manchester City defender John Stones and ex-Manchester United player Nemanja Vidic have a higher win ratio. Only Vidic, Arsenal legend Tony Adams, and Chelsea icon Terry have a higher clean sheet percentage than Van Dijk’s 43% at Liverpool (of players with 200 or more starts).

Duels and Aerial Duels

Van Dijk has won a higher percentage of duels and aerial duels than any other Premier League centre-back since 2006-07 (excluding those who have not been involved in many). His ability to dominate in these areas is truly remarkable. Against opponents like Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in the last four days, he played with such ease that it seemed he could have done it with a cigar.

Dribbling Past

Of centre-backs to have played 3,500 minutes or more since January 2018, Van Dijk has been dribbled past less often per 90 minutes than anyone else. On average, a player gets past him once every seven games, and it has only happened 29 times. This shows his exceptional ability to stay composed and prevent opponents from getting past him.

Comparisons with Other Legends

Former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, compared Van Dijk to other great centre-backs. He said, “[Ex-Leeds and Manchester United player] Rio Ferdinand was a slightly different player to Terry. Terry was a phenomenal defender. Tony Adams was a brilliant leader. I get the Van Dijk shout as well. He has absolutely everything. People would look at Ferdinand’s trophy haul and say ‘well it has to be him’. Currently yeah, I think he is – that’s me sort of copping out a bit but John Terry was phenomenal as well though so can we have a joint three – Terry, Ferdinand and Van Dijk?”Ex-Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given added that it is “all about different opinions”. He mentioned other great centre-backs like Ferdinand, Terry, Vidic, Jonathan Woodgate in his prime before he went to Real Madrid, and Colin Hendry at Blackburn. And he also added that “what a player” Paul McGrath was.We want you to rank these 10 iconic Premier League centre-backs. There were so many quality ones to choose from that some legends had to miss the cut.