Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has compared Franco Baresi praising Virgil Van Dijk to being crowed by the king.
Klopp says that Baresi was heaping praise on Van Dijk and that it is like Sadio Mane being complimented by Lionel Messi.
Twitter: Klopp: “Somebody showed me that @FBaresi was really positive about Van Dijk – for a defender, that’s like being cr… https://t.co/Xe1LygqeWa (@neiljonesgoal)
Van Dijk finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting this year, just seven votes behind Barcelona’s Lionel Messi – who won.
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For a man of Baresi’s reputation and stature, his word carries plenty of weight. If he is impressed by Virgil Van Dijk, you know he is the real deal. Van Dijk has had tonnes of hype surrounding him in the last year or so, due to his incredible performances, and it does get to a point where you run the risk or perhaps overstating his ability.
But there is no overstating Van Dijk’s ability. When Baresi is reaffirming the opinion that Van Dijk is the best centre-back in the world, it is hard to argue against. Baresi played over 700 games for Milan and won the World Cup with Italy, so he knows what it takes to be the best of the best, which Van Dijk is at the moment.
