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

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.

“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."

“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.