Virgil van Dijk should be considered among the greatest centre-backs to have ever played football after years of consistency, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
Liverpool emerged as 4-1 victors against Ipswich Town last Saturday, with goals from Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah helping secure a straightforward three points.
Van Dijk was also a standout performer and made his 300th appearance for the club since signing from Southampton in January 2018, and he has arguably been Liverpool's most important player given he provides the team with a stable platform from which attackers like Mohamed Salah can excel.
Lynch was adamant that Van Dijk's displays this term should make him a candidate to win the Ballon d'Or alongside Salah and should also remind spectators that he is among the best to have ever played in defence, telling Sports Mole: "It's crazy how much the opposition focus their attacks down the other side. He's so good but in a lot of games he doesn't actually get the chance to show it because nobody will go near him.
"I think we're talking about arguably the greatest centre-half of all time in any league, anywhere, because of what is demanded of him compared to previous centre-halves who are seen as true greats. A lot of players from that era or past eras acknowledge that because they know what they're seeing is something we've never seen before from a centre-back.
"If Liverpool do win a trophy - and they've got a great chance in the Premier League and in the Champions League - if they can go really deep in that, then both [Salah and Van Dijk] should be right up there in the Ballon d'Or voting."
Van Dijk narrowly missed out on winning the 2019 Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi by just seven votes in what was one of the closest races in the history of the award.
What sets Virgil van Dijk apart from his peers?
The Reds captain completed 132 passes against Ipswich, setting a new record for passes completed in a Premier League game this season.
Van Dijk is also dominant on the ground and in the air, with just four players in the Premier League boasting an aerial duel win rate higher than the centre-back's figure of 73.9%.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch expressed his belief that Van Dijk stands above his peers - past and present - due to his rounded skill set, saying: "Everything with his feet, passing the ball through the lines, passing the ball out wide, his ability to dictate where his defence is, that high line that all sides play now which is leaving these vast swathes of space in behind - he's so comfortable in doing that.
"You cannot beat him in the air, you can't beat him on the ground. I've seen so many times wingers or forwards going one-on-one with him, and I burst out laughing because they've turned back. In a one-vs-one situation, they've got a centre-half stood up, and in any other game, in any other team, you would think 'what an opportunity this is', [but] they don't do it because they know there's no chance of getting a shot off.
"It's insane, the level of consistency, and plus everything else he brings to the table. It's not a debate in terms of his greatness because he's doing so much more than any other centre-half has and all of it at the top level."
Van Dijk has registered a top speed of 34.9 km/h in the Champions League this season, making him the joint fastest player in Europe for Liverpool alongside Conor Bradley.
© Imago
Does Virgil van Dijk need to win more to cement his legacy?
During his time at Anfield, Van Dijk has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, the EFL Cup twice, the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup - a trophy haul that most players would be envious of.
However, centre-backs like Franz Beckenbauer have won multiple European Cups, while Premier League defenders such as Rio Ferdinand and John Terry have won multiple league titles.
Lynch acknowledged that Van Dijk likely needs a larger trophy haul in order to be given the recognition his performances merit but insisted suggestions that players like Terry were better because of their trophy collections are illogical, saying: "Unfortunately, he doesn't have the trophy haul to match [Terry and Ferdinand] - it's unfortunate he came up against that Man City side.
"Players like him are desperate for Liverpool to win the league and have a crack at the Champions League this season because he deserves more. That would cement his legacy about how good he is because he's the greatest defender of this era, and in this era, centre-backs are expected to do so much more and he does it all at an elite level.
"Some of the names we're throwing out there are ridiculous. Some of the more recent ones - people would say 'John Terry was better or Rio Ferdinand was better. That's why they won X amount of leagues or Champions Leagues', but you don't have to go that far to find on social media compilations of errors. Every player has an off day, but it's so hard to do that about van Dijk because there are literally a handful of errors from the last decade."
Liverpool are currently first in the Premier League and lead second-placed Arsenal by six points while also boasting the advantage of having a game in hand, so there is every chance that Van Dijk could add significantly to his trophy collection before his time at Anfield comes to an end.
Lewis Nolan
