Martin Keown declared Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk the best defender in Premier League history in a recent appearance on talkSPORT.

“I think he has to be,” Known said. “It’s almost perfection to watch him play.”

Van Dijk is rivalled for the honour by Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Vincent Kompany and others.

There will, however, be those who disagree with Keown.

They’ll refer to Van Dijk’s trophy haul which, while it’s growing, is nothing compared to the aforementioned names.

But there can be no doubting that the Dutch defender belongs in the conversation for the title.

He’s been incredible since joining Liverpool for £75 million in January 2018, finishing runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2019 Ballon d’Or award.

So, how does Van Dijk stack up against the likes of Ferdinand, Terry and Kompany?

If we look at their win percentages and clean sheet percentages in the Premier League, he’s actually beneath Terry.

Terry's win percentage and clean sheet percentage during his iconic Chelsea career were 63% and 43.5% respectively.

Van Dijk's win percentage in the top flight is 60% and his clean sheet percentage is 37.9%.

But the Liverpool star sits ahead of Ferdinand, Kompany and Sol Campbell.

It's worth noting that his stats from his three seasons at Southampton are taken into account.

John Terry

  • Games played: 492
  • Won: 311
  • Win %: 63
  • Clean sheets: 214
  • Clean sheet %: 43.5

Virgil van Dijk

  • Games played: 140
  • Won: 84
  • Win %: 60
  • Clean sheets: 53
  • Clean sheet %: 37.9

Rio Ferdinand

  • Games played: 504
  • Won: 291
  • Win %: 58
  • Clean sheets: 189
  • Clean sheet %: 37.5

Vincent Kompany

  • Games played: 265
  • Won: 167
  • Win %: 63
  • Clean sheets: 94
  • Clean sheet %: 35.5

Sol Campbell

  • Games played: 503
  • Won: 212
  • Win %: 42
  • Clean sheets: 153
  • Clean sheet %: 30.4

So Terry beats Van Dijk in win percentage and clean sheet percentage.

The former Chelsea centre-back also has the trophies and individual accolades to support his claim to be the best defender in Premier League history.

Terry won five Premier League titles and was named in the PFA Team of the Year four times.

But Van Dijk has a great chance to surpass him if he stays at Liverpool for a long time.