Virgil van Dijk is regarded by many as the best centre-back in the Premier League – and perhaps the world. The impact he has had at Liverpool is monumental.
Since arriving at Anfield in 2018, Van Dijk has won the Premier League, Champions League, League Cup, FA Cup, Club World Cup and European Super Cup. He has also been in the PFA Team of the Year twice and was named the Premier League Player of the Season in 2019.
The defender, however, did miss out on another Champions League title on Saturday evening. Liverpool lost 1-0 Real Madrid in Paris.
His laidback approach to defending is a joy to watch, and he is a defender whose leadership and pace are key assets. In the Premier League and Champions League, van Dijk has had to take on some world-class attackers.
The Liverpool man sat down with Rio Ferdinand earlier in the week for BT Sport and FIVE. The Dutchman then detailed which five players he found it most challenging to play against.
Here’s what he said:
Virgil van Dijk picks his five toughest forwards
Van Dijk’s first choice was former Barcelona and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. The Dutchman met Aguero many times in the Premier League. The forward’s low centre of gravity and ruthless finishing made him a nightmare for even the top defenders.
Van Dijk simply stated: “Sergio Aguero was obviously unbelievable.”
His next choice was Lionel Messi, whose success, of course, is well documented. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner faced van Dijk in the semi-final of the 2019 Champions League, and scored twice in the first leg. Van Dijk called him “arguably the best player in the history of football, in my opinion.”
The Liverpool defender then opted for Messi’s PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who he referred to as “different and quick”. Van Dijk met Mbappe in the UEFA Nations League in 2021, and the pair enjoyed a fierce battle. They are, however, yet to meet for their clubs.
His final two choices were new Manchester City signing Erling Haaland and Benfica forward Darwin Nunez.
Haaland has faced van Dijk on three occasions across matches for club and country. In addition, Haaland is widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in world football. Fans will be eager to see the pair square off again in the Premier League after the Norwegian’s move to Man City was confirmed.
Van Dijk has only played against Benfica’s Darwin Nunez once, however, in the quarter-final of this year’s Champions League. But, if the rumours are to be believed, Darwin could well be lining up against the Dutchman next season in the Premier League.
The Dutchman explained why he rates both players so highly: “It is a different type of striker that we are facing now. They are doing very well, in the name of Haaland, but also Darwin. It’s a bit similar. Very direct, quick, tall, strong, and it’s quite difficult to play against those guys.”
How Van Dijk deals with these players
Finally, at the conclusion of the interview, Ferdinand asks van Dijk about what traits are required in a modern-day centre-back. The Dutch international then shared his thoughts.
He said: “Pace, comfortable on the ball. [Good] communication and, in England, heading is an important thing.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty
