Virgil van Dijk is one of the greatest defenders of the modern era.

As time goes by, there's good reason to think that the 2019 Ballon d'Or trophy going to Lionel Messi as opposed to the Liverpool juggernaut will be viewed as one of the award's biggest errors.

Besides, Van Dijk was practically unstoppable during the 2018/19 campaign, galvanising Liverpool to the Champions League title and never being dribbled past once in club football.

Van Dijk's brilliance

As a result, the Dutchman came within a whisker of being crowned the best player in world football, beating the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski in a rare feat for a defender.

And his 2019/20 season wasn't far behind as he played every minute on the way to Liverpool's Premier League triumph, while also bagging the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

So, sure, Van Dijk has spent the majority of the 2020/21 campaign recovering from a serious knee injury, but don't be fooled into thinking that takes away anything from his recent achievements.

Pickford injures Van Dijk

Arguments against Van Dijk

However, that being said, we'd be lying if we claimed that Van Dijk has commanded the title of the world's best defender for as long as, say, Sergio Ramos or Gerard Pique in the 21st century.

But at the same time, we're not sure the respective Real Madrid or Barcelona legends ever reached the peak that Van Dijk did, so the debate largely depends on what angle you're looking at it from.

Park those thoughts for a second, though, because there is one part of the argument that we want to put to bed forever and that's the fact that Van Dijk has been something of a late bloomer.

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Liverpool fan's thread

And in the eyes of some football fans, Van Dijk having not risen to world-class status until his late twenties and after spells with Celtic and Southampton is something that works against him.

However, if you're like me, you're probably not too convinced with that argument and a punchy thread from Twitter user @JackBryantt has perfectly put an end to that angle of attack.

To do so, they've penned 'a thread of Premier League greats that peaked around the same age, if not later, but receive no criticism for a lack of longevity' and it makes for fascinating reading, so be sure to check it out down below:

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Well, well, well, there appear to be some double standards going on here.

Put respect on Van Dijk's name

Look, for whatever reason - and yes, there are exceptions - centre-back seems to be a position in which players bloom later than, say, wingers or centre-forwards.

Perhaps it's the importance of experience that sees these centre-halves come into their own later in their career but the fact of the matter is that Van Dijk isn't the first and he won't be the last.

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However, what must be conceded is that it doesn't allow Van Dijk the sort of time that players like Ramos have enjoyed to garner the trophy hauls that will help his legacy in the long run.

But regardless of whether Van Dijk's stats and silverware compare with his contemporaries or not, we doubt that we'll see a defensive season quite like his 2018/19 effort any time soon.