Virgil Van Dijk is best defender in the world right now, reveals Nemanja Vidic

Virgil Van Dijk is best defender in the world right now, reveals Nemanja Vidic

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Nemanja Vidic has revealed that he believes that Virgil Van Dijk is the best defender in the world right now. The former Manchester United, who was once the best defender in the world, finished his career with five Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy amongst a myriad of trophies.

Virgil Van Dijk’s career path has been far from simple, but in the end, it does look like the Dutchman got where he was supposed to be. The move to Liverpool took a long time to eventually happen, but once it did, few have debated as to whether or not he fits there perfectly, with Van Dijk becoming arguably one of the best in the world and Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic agrees.

The former Manchester United and Inter Milan believes that the Netherlands star is the best in the world, bar none. In an interview with The Athletic, the five-time Premier League winner went on to reveal why the Liverpool man is the best and who could come close to eclipsing him.

“Virgil Van Dijk is the best in the world. To become one of the best in the world you have to win the trophies. And trophies depend on your team. Liverpool are the European champions. You don’t need to say any more than this and Van Dijk has been a very, very important part of a team. Physically, he dominates the other players. He’s strong and dominant in the air,” Vidic told the Athletic.

“He leaves a huge impression on the field because when an opponent sees him, they see a giant. And when his own players see him, they feel security and confidence. If you look at defenders now, there’s only really him and (Napoli’s Kalidou) Koulibaly who I would describe as typical defenders who like to defend. He’s rarer in that he’s left-footed. Of course they have a tendency sometimes to enjoy the ball, but their priority is defending. That separates those two from others."

The 37-year-old played alongside a plethora of world-class players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and even Robin Van Persie at Manchester United, although Vidic reveals that Louis Saha is the second-best player he's played with, behind only Ronaldo.  Saha, a former Manchester United and Tottenham striker, finished his career with a Champions League crown and two Premier League titles after spells at Fulham, Everton, Sunderland and even Newcastle United before retiring.

“Cristiano is the most professional footballer I came across in my entire career. He had a big talent. He had a big dream, a big desire and big targets. He never stopped pushing himself to the limit. He’s never going to stop and I respect that a lot. He was technically excellent. He could shoot with the right foot, the left foot. He was good in the air. He was always trying to develop himself, to improve," Vidic further added.

"What impressed me was how much do you know when you are a 21-year-old kid, as Cristiano was when he was at United? Here’s what he knew — that after training he would do some more practising of free-kicks and dribbling, then he would go home and do stretching and more exercise. He has deserved all his success.

“I must mention Louis Saha. I know he had a lot of injuries but he’s someone I admired greatly. He was a top-level striker and I found him a big challenge to play against. Ruud (van Nistelrooy), who I played with for a little bit, was a great finisher, great in the box. You become good playing against the best players every day. You improve yourself by playing against them,” concluded the Serbian.

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