Van Dirk best EPL defender of all time
Dutch defender Virgil van Dirk celebrates with Robert Firminho after scoring Liverpool’s opening goal against Manchester United. AFP PHOTO
An avalanche of questions engulfs when one hears that one of the toughest man markers ever to grace England’s top flight league, Martin Keown, rates Liverpool defensive behemoth Virgil van Dirk, as the best Premier League defender of all time.
To best appreciate where Keown is coming from, I juxtaposed myself into the shoes of division legends John Terry, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ricky Carvalho, Tony Adams and Vincent Kompany.
And the one question that kept reverberating in my mind (as must be theirs) is: what has Van Dirk won to warrant such an accolade?
His fans can cite galvanising effect the Dutchman has brought to Anfield as Jurgen Klopp’s side has raced to the Champions League, Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup victories as evidence he has transcended the aforementioned defensive kingpins to take possession of the throne reserved for the very best. Despite suffering the heartache of missing out on Premier League glory after accumulating 97 points, Kopites are even sufficiently immunised from thirty years of heartache and are bold enough to chant, “we are going to win the league”.
Only another set of questions can best help us conclude that Keown’s claim is more than mere rural-urban migration excitement.
a) How many Premier League defenders have ever made the three-man final short-list for the Ballon D’Or that France Football has unerringly reserved for Europe’s best player every twelve months for 65 years? The answer is, only one - Van Dirk. In fact, the Liverpool kingpin is one of only two defenders to make the shortlist - Azzuri World Cup winning skipper Fabio Cannavaro is the second.
b) Which of the aforementioned defensive kingpins has ever improved those around him as profoundly as Van Dirk? None. All of them flourished as an axis with Adams-Sol Campbell, Vidic-Rio, and Terry-Carvalho needing partners to thrive. Van Dirk is, on the other hand, not just thriving regardless of who you pair with him. He is bringing the best out of Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. It doesn’t matter who you pair with him. He will thrive.
c) Which other defender has ever completed a full EPL season without allowing a single opponent to dribble past him? Again, only one man. Van Dirk. Remember all too vividly how Vidic never really came to terms with Fernando Torres. Same can be said of Sol Campbell, who somehow always let Wayne Rooney slip through his grasp. Rio was never a proper physical specimen whereas Kompany was blighted by incessant injuries.
Virgil van Dirk is the first Premier League defender without any known weakness. He is strong as an ox, impossible to outduel in an aerial contest, is blessed with pace to burn (refuses to be outpaced by speed demons like Marcus Rashford) and is a real leader of men. If Jordan Henderson and James Milner, who take turns with the armband are club Captain and deputy; Van Dirk is the General. In summary, the Dutchman is the best (not yet greatest) Premier League defender of all time.
