Where does Virgil van Dijk rank among the pantheon of the world’s greatest defenders of all time?

No.1, apparently.

That’s according to a Liverpool fan who has created a Twitter thread explaining why Van Dijk is apparently the best defender in football history.

Van Dijk has added some major honours to his collection over the past few years, including the Champions League and Premier League.

And according to Twitter user Aary0uz, he’s already better than the likes of Paulo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Fabio Cannavaro and other legendary defenders.

And it’s not some joke thread, either. It includes more than 20 tweets and features videos, stats and more.

We’ve included some of the text from the thread below.

  • "There’s not an attribute Virgil lacks which is needed in a defender and add to that he’s the best in most of these attributes and one of the best in a few. Some attributes that great cbs lacked: Maldini - Physique. Ramos - Discipline. Pique - Pace. Nesta - Physique. Terry - Pace."
  • "Every single attribute of his is outstanding, his defensive technique is out of this world, he can score goals, he can pass the ball well, he’s quick and above all that he is built like an NBA player. Basically if you combined every great CB you have Virgil."
  • "Virgil was the first defender since Cannavaro to challenge for the Ballon d’Or and he had a fair case for winning it. He won the Champions League, was the UEFA Player of the Year and was the Premier Player of the Year (first defender since John Terry) along with numerous awards."
  • "His composure is his best attribute for me. I have never seen a defender this composed on the ball and in 1v1 situations. He barely ever breaks into a sweat and when you watch him it’s almost like he isn’t trying."
  • "His heatmap vs Crystal Palace is practically that of a defensive midfielder. Playing in a high line is one thing but this is insanity. Not a lot of centre backs are comfortable playing this high."
  • "At the end of the day it all boils down to preference, I have provided my point for why I think that Virgil is the greatest and you can disagree with it, I have no problem but he really should be considered among the greats IMO."

So, are you swayed into believing that Van Dijk really is the greatest defender in football history?