Barely a day goes by without Virgil van Dijk being showered with praise from somebody – that’s how good he is.
The Dutchman is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or later this year, pipping all-time-great duo Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize, as well as some of his Liverpool teammates.
Someone who rates Van Dijk incredibly highly is Barcelona legend Carles Puyol, who knows a thing or two about what makes a great defender.
Speaking to the Independent, the former centre-back hailed the Liverpool star as the “complete” player:
Van Dijk is one of the best in the world. He is the complete defender, always calm, a great player.
The spotlight usually goes to the strikers, so it is nice to see a defender get deserved recognition.
It’s true that in recent years Messi for me is the best, and it’s difficult to compare to him because to me he’s the best player in history.
We’ve also had Cristiano who’s a great player. And the two have always been there, and few players have had the opportunity to win an individual trophy.
Having these two players in this era, he’s doing an excellent job and I’m very happy for him.
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It’s hard to think of a Liverpool player who has received so much acclaim all over the world for his performances.
That certainly applied to Steven Gerrard during the 2000s, while Luis Suarez and Mohamed Salah produced masterclass seasons in 2013/14 and 2017/18 respectively, but the praise for Van Dijk almost seems to be on another level.
It shows exactly why he is one of the world’s most influential footballers and the Reds’ key man.
If Van Dijk does beat Messi and Ronaldo to the Ballon d’Or, it will be a richly deserved honour for a phenomenal talent.
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