Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk is EPL’s best centre-back: Vincent Kompany
Ex-City defender praises Dutchman's impact, Virgil says more to come from him and Liverpool
Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has hailed Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk as the best centre-half to have graced the English Premier League.
The EPL has been blessed with great centre-backs such as Gary Pallister, Tony Adams, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.
Even Kompany himself is a contender for the accolade, but the Belgian felt van Dijk is his choice due to the impact he has had since moving to Anfield.
"I would bring it back to Virgil van Dijk," Kompany told Sporf.
"It's a weird one because he hasn't been on the scene for as long as Terry and Ferdinand... but in terms of having an impact on a team... it's about his communication with others and how you make your team more solid.
"The Liverpool before van Dijk and the one after him, it's a completely different set-up and I'll choose him because of that."
The Dutch international became the-then most expensive defender in the world when Liverpool paid Southampton £75 million (S$131m) in January 2018.
DREAM MOVE
It is a far cry from when a 16-year-old van Dijk washed dishes to make ends meet for a few euros, as he dreamed of making it as a professional footballer.
So when the chance came to sign for Liverpool, after stints at Groningen, Celtic and Southampton, it felt dreamy for the 28-year-old.
"It was surreal for me to have to make a decision (between Liverpool and other top clubs) where to go to at the time," van Dijk told Sky Sports.
"The instant feeling was there with Liverpool and they ticked most of my boxes. It was special... my debut against Everton is something I'll never forget."
Since acquiring the towering defender, Juergen Klopp's men finished as Champions League runners-up in the 2017/18 season, before winning the European crown a year later, when they also missed out on the EPL title by a point.
This season, they were just two wins from winning their first league title in 30 years, before the Covid-19 pandemic brought competition to a halt. However, van Dijk warned rivals that there is still room for him to grow.
"We are making big progress as a team and I have made big progress myself," he said.
"I have come from hard work and a lot of dedication... I am very proud of my journey and it has not finished yet."
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