Virgil Van Dijk Rated Higher Than Rio Ferdinand And Nemanja Vidic, He Is The 'Rolls-Royce Of Defenders'

Tony Bellew believes that Virgil van Dijk is the “best defender that I've seen in my lifetime” ahead of Manchester United legends Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Van Dijk, 30, has been widely praised for his impact at Liverpool since his whopping £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.

The Dutch centre-back has lifted both the Premier League title and Champions League trophy during his time at Anfield.

And Van Dijk finished runner-up for the 2019 Ballon d'Or behind eventual winner Lionel Messi.

Everton fan Bellew has now hailed the Netherlands captain as the “Rolls-Royce of defenders” and insisted that he is better than Ferdinand.

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The 38-year-old former boxer told GiveMeSport: “What a player. I think he's the best defender that I've seen in my lifetime. I think he's that good. He's the Rolls-Royce of defenders.

“I haven't seen a defender that's as composed or as good as him since a prime Rio Ferdinand and I think his physical capabilities are more than Rio Ferdinand. That's the only reason that I rate him as better than Ferdinand.

“Don't get me wrong, he needs longevity and he needs more trophies to be nailed on, but I just think looking at him and what he does on the ball, I think he's the best defender that I've ever seen in my lifetime.

“When you come to just pure defending, I'd say [Franco] Baresi and [Paolo] Maldini are the greatest defenders of all time, but they could never do the things that he could actually do with a ball.

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“You know, the way he sprays the ball 80 yards, no problem at all. He doesn't just spray the ball 80 yards and the players run on to it. It's at the players' feet. It's just insane how good he is.

“He's literally the Rolls-Royce of defenders. He's phenomenal and someone that I rate massively, which pains me to say, understand, but he's phenomenal.”

Van Dijk has handed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp a major boost by returning to the starting XI for the current Premier League season.

The Liverpool defender was sidelined for the majority of last season after he suffered an ACL injury in his right knee against Everton.

Van Dijk has started all five of Liverpool’s opening Premier League matches this season as the Reds sit top of the table.

Topics: Tony Bellew, Virgil Van Dijk, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Liverpool, Premier League, England, Football

Adnan Riaz

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]

@AdnanRiaz9