Virgil van Dijk vs Rio Ferdinand: Who has better Premier League stats in their prime?

Virgil van Dijk is one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history.

While neutral fans might want to see the Liverpool star playing at a world-class standard for a few more years before he’s truly considered in the league’s GOAT debate, Van Dijk’s stature in the English game is unquestionable.

The simple fact that he came within a handful of votes of becoming the first defender to win the Ballon d’Or since Fabio Cannavaro lets you know just how game-changing he’s been at Anfield.

In fact, the Premier League has arguably never seen a better individual season from a centre-back than the one that Van Dijk produced during the 2018/19 campaign.

Winning the Champions League, PFA Players’ Player of the Year award and not getting dribbled past once, the Dutchman was the closest thing many people have seen to a note-perfect defender.

However, that’s not necessarily the opinion that everybody subscribes to and one of the biggest debates to emerge from Van Dijk’s ascension has seen him compared to Nemanja Vidic.

It’s a natural debate in many ways with Vidic having also been a darling of the individual awards, winning two Premier League Player of the Season crowns, while also playing for Liverpool’s arch enemies.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the sheer mention of ‘Van Dijk vs Vidic’ gets everybody talking because of how perfectly it pits Manchester United and Liverpool fans up against one another.

However, in many ways, perhaps the fairer comparison between legendary Liverpool and United centre-backs is actually Van Dijk and Rio Ferdinand.

Regardless of which player you think was better out of Vidic and Ferdinand, the latter’s playing style better reflects that of Van Dijk in its impetus on ball-playing ability and general