55% of football fans would prefer to have Sergio Ramos leading their team than Virgil van Dijk.
GiveMeSport ran a poll on Facebook which attracted more than 168,000 votes.
And Real Madrid’s Ramos prevailed.
The Spaniard has won everything there is to win with Real Madrid, including four La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.
He’s also a World Cup and European Championship winner, having been a part of the Spain side that dominated between 2008 and 2012.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, has only reached superstardom since joining Liverpool in January 2018.
He’s arguably the finest centre-back in the world right now, finishing second to Lionel Messi at the 2019 Ballon d’Or awards, but doesn’t have the same longevity at the top compared to Ramos.
To understand Ramos’ qualities, you only need to read what some of the most high-profile names in football have said about the 34-year-old.
His coach, Zinedine Zidane, was quoted by UEFA as saying about his captain: “Ramos doesn't surprise me. It's what he has - a big personality... he's always there, always encouraging players and he never drops his guard. He never gives up."
Meanwhile, former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti regards Ramos as the most complete defender in history.
“There are defenders with extraordinary technical ability, others have unique defensive qualities – like [Fabio] Cannavaro, brilliant at marking,” Ancelotti said.
“Others, like [Franco] Baresi, can command a back line while others influence with strong personalities.
“But factoring everything together to evaluate a defender then Sergio Ramos is the most complete. He's got a bit of everything: technical ability, strength, personality and leadership."
Sorry, Virgil, but the fans have spoken.