Former Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie feels that Virgil van Dijk is the best defender he has ever seen.
Virgil van Dijk is widely regarded to be the best defender in the world at present thanks to his Liverpool performances. The Dutchman has made 72 appearances for Liverpool since joining the club from Southampton on a world record transfer fee of £75 million. So far, he has scored 7 goals and has provided 4 assists.
Last season was a memorable season for Van Dijk as he helped Liverpool win the Champions League while being Man of the Match in the final against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid. The 27-year was the PFA Player of the Year and was in the PFA Team of the Year as well as in the Champions League Team of the Season.
Van Dijk was a rock at the back for Liverpool, making crucial tackles, interceptions and clearances while his long balls often created scoring opportunities for Liverpool. The Dutchman scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.
His performances has made Van Dijk a heavy favorite to win the Ballon d’Or.
Van Dijk’s performances has impressed former Reds defender Gary Gillespie who made 214 appearances from 1983-1991.
Gillespie feels that van Dijk is the best defender he has ever seen. Gillespie told LFC Later as quoted by Liverpool’s official site: “Normally it is the players that catch the eye, the players that score the goals, that dribble and beat people, that create opportunities and I think it speaks volumes that he’s even being talked about as winning the Ballon d’Or, the fact he’s a centre-back.
“For me, he’s the best [defender] I’ve seen, absolutely. He’s right up there, outstanding in every department [and] in one-on-one situations, and that’s so key these days, with the way that modern teams play. Sometimes you are left in one-on-one situations and you just need to look at his stats last season: I think they were that not one player dribbled past him. I just think that’s phenomenal.”
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