Jamie Carragher made a big claim about Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk this week – and it’s one that not everyone agreed on. The ex-Red did have a laugh at the response, though.
Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher played the ‘Winner Stays On’ game for Sky Sports this week. The topic? Premier League centre-backs and who the greatest of all time is.
The former striker was asking the questions to the former centre-back and it went pretty much how you’d expect. After John Terry quickly knocked out Rio Ferdinand, Virgil van Dijk entered the fray – and would stay on until the end.
Carragher put the Dutchman ahead of Terry because of his extra pace, before brushing off the idea that Nemanja Vidic was competition here. Vincent Kompany, the final name, caused the ex-Liverpool man to consider things but he ultimately opted for Van Dijk.
The replies to it are what you’d expect, with some absolutely ridiculous claims like Van Dijk not even being in the top 10. Those comments tend to come from Manchester United fans, it should be noted.
Carragher clearly enjoyed the resulting fume, tweeting out about the replies.
JAMIE CARRAGHER MAKES BIG VIRGIL VAN DIJK CLAIM
So is Virgil van Dijk actually the best centre-back in Premier League history. He does get our vote, even if comparing across era is tricky, given the modern centre-back is asked to play a different game to, say, John Terry’s era.
But there’s no question that Liverpool fans wouldn’t swap him for anyone else mentioned in the Winner Stays on Game. What Van Dijk brings – and has done since 2018 – is the complete game.
His transformative effect on Liverpool was recognised when he became the only person on this list to come within a sniff of the Ballon d’Or. He’s won everything with the Reds and, notably, did it with various defensive partners.
With Joel Matip, he won the Champions League. Joe Gomez played the majority of games for the Premier League title win in 2020, while the 2022 campaign saw Ibrahima Konaté eventually become his partner.
Really, there’s no one quite like Van Dijk and he certainly gets our nod for being the best of the Premier League era.
