Jamie Carragher has made the bold claim that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is the ‘best centre-back in Premier League history’ after keeping both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland under wraps in recent meetings.
Arne Slot’s Reds took a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League table, nine points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, after goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah contributed to their 2-0 triumph over Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions.
From minute one to 90, the talismanic Haaland was reduced to sour grapes by Van Dijk and his stand-in partner Joe Gomez with the Norwegian taking just 16 touches, which led to a mere two shots, inside a raucous Anfield.
In the wake of the victory, Carragher took to X (formerly Twitter) to wax lyrical about the imposing Dutchman, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders of the 21st century, and his performance against the east Manchester-based outfit.
“VVD performance today was unbelievable! (I know he made a mistake at the end!) He made Erling Haaland look like Alf-Inge Haaland! The best striker v best CB should be a great battle, but it’s so easy for him,” he wrote.
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Carragher then made the audacious statement that he, amid competition from the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, is the best centre-back we’ve ever borne witness to in England’s top division with the debate ‘not even close’.
“He’s the best CB we’ve ever seen in the PL, I know the replies will scream Liverpool bias!!!! Or compare trophies to others but that’s all nonsense. I always said it was John Terry before VVD came along & he played for one of my biggest rivals in Chelsea!!
“Trophies depend on your team or money or timing,” the 46-year-old insisted. “All great defenders of the past had attackers who caused them problems, but who ever causes VVD any??
Referencing his former side’s midweek 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League, when Mbappe experienced very little joy against the former Celtic man and Ibrahima Konate, Carragher jovially suggested that he could have played with a cigar in his mouth given how simple he made the onerous task look.
“He’s just played against Mbappe & Haaland in the last four days & played them with such ease he could’ve played with a cigar!!!! Please stop this silly debate about the best CB, it’s not even close."