Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been dubbed the best defender in Premier League history by former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.
This is a huge claim by the Belgian, who has snubbed some truly big names in the process who arguably achieved a lot more in their careers in the English top flight.
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Kompany concedes Van Dijk has not been around as long as the likes of Chelsea legend John Terry and Manchester United hero Rio Ferdinand, and they’re certainly two of the main ones who come to mind as being the very best.
Kompany does, feel, however, that his choice has to go to Van Dijk for the immense impact he’s had at Anfield, and there’s no denying it’s hard to remember a recent signing having such a huge impact.
The Netherlands international very quickly turned a slightly dodgy Reds side into one of the most solid defensive outfits in Europe, leading them to Champions League glory last season.
Still, Chelsea and Man Utd fans will no doubt point to the longevity of the likes of Terry and Ferdinand, both of whom won multiple Premier League titles as well as European trophies.
There’s also surely a case for the likes of Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and Nemanja Vidic to be ahead of Van Dijk, while Kompany himself is also surely right up there, even if he was never likely to pick himself.
Van Dijk is the greatest premier league defender of all time – Vincent Kompany pic.twitter.com/307TZzY5mU
— threesixtytv (@threesixtytv) September 11, 2019
“I would bring it back to Virgil van Dijk, he’s not been on the scene as long as Terry, Ferdinand who have been around for a long time but the signs he’s shown in the last few years,” Kompany is quoted by Goal.
“He’s shown if he had been around longer he’d have been at the top for a long time. The Liverpool before Van Dijk and after are a completely different setup. I’ll give him that one.”