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Virgil Van Dijk Produces A Masterclass Performance Against England In The Nations League

Virgil Van Dijk Produces A Masterclass Performance Against England In The Nations League

Whether it is Liverpool or the Netherlands, Virgil van Dijk knows how to rise to the occasion and put on a fantastic individual performance.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Virgil van Dijk once again showed why he is arguably the best defender in world football after his masterclass performance against England in the Nations League semi-finals.

The 27-year-old Dutch centre-back captained his country and kept a cool head in defence, with his stats showing how well he performed over the course of the match.

Van Dijk played through all 120 minutes against the Three Lions and won all of his aerial duels and every tackle that he made.

When he wasn't performing his defensive duties for his side, the Liverpool defender had an impressive 96 per cent pass completion rate.

Oh, and his performance comes less than a week after winning the Champions League with Liverpool.

There have been many voicing their support for Van Dijk to win the Ballon d'Or, which includes ex-AC Milan ace Kaká.

"We will see what happens in the future. Would I give the Ballon d'Or to Virgil van Dijk? I had some discussions talking about it with friends and with my brother and the name we chose is really his," he told Sky Sport Italy.

"He had a great season in the Premier League and won the Champions League playing in a crazy way.

"We'll see what the judges will decide but it's time to reward a defender."

PA

Ronald Koeman's side booked their spot in the final after beating England 3-1 at the Estádio D Afonso Henriques.

Matthijs de Ligt was at fault for England's opener after gifting the Three Lions a penalty, which Marcus Rashford fired into the back of the net.

The Ajax captain made amends in the second half when he scored the equaliser and forced the match into extra-time.

However, Gareth Southgate's side crumbled defensively in extra-time and led to Jordan Pickford conceding twice.

The Netherlands will face Portugal in the Nations League final on Sunday at the Estádio do Dragão.

Meanwhile, England will play against Switzerland at the Estádio D Afonso Henriques on the same day to determine who finishes third in the competition.

Is Van Dijk the best defender currently in football?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Nations League, three lions, England, Netherlands, Virgil Van Dijk, Ronald Koeman, Gareth Southgate

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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