Joe Cole has claimed that Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk is nowhere near as good a centre-back as Rio Ferdinand was.
Speaking on Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five podcast, Cole said that the Liverpool man simply can’t match his old England teammate.
“Van Dijk’s got a long way to go before he gets close to Rio [Ferdinand],” he said. “That is with the most respect to Van Dijk who I think is the best around at the moment but he needs to win multiple league titles. I think centre-halves can get judged more so on what they win and the team they play in, so he needs to win more.”
We’ll just have to agree to disagree then, Joe.
Different eras impossible to objectively compare
In football, it’s always difficult to judge one player from a different era against another. Times change in the game and different attributes are needed in different periods.
As a result, head-to-head debates tend to be settled by playing the old ‘who won more’ card. Seeing as Ferdinand played in one of the most domestically dominant club teams ever seen, he’ll trump most players in that respect.
But that doesn’t automatically make him a better player and it’s nonsensical to claim otherwise.
Van Dijk and Ferdinand head-to-head
If Van Dijk were to win nothing else during his career, it would be disappointing for sure. Given that he’s already won a Premier League, a Champions League, an FA Cup, a League Cup, a Super Cup and a Club World Cup at Liverpool though, his legacy is secure regardless.
For comparison, Ferdinand actually isn’t as far ahead as you might think. The Manchester United legend is obviously clear on league titles, with six to his name.
But that aside, it’s close. Ferdinand has one more League Cup than Virgil, but that’s about it. Both won one Champions League and the Club World Cup. Ferdinand never won the Super Cup or, amazingly, the FA Cup.
Both won trophies at other clubs, too. Ferdinand the now defunct Intertoto Cup in 1999, Van Dijk two league titles and a League Cup with Celtic.
On an individual basis, it’s the Liverpool man who absolutely romps home. Ferdinand beats him six to three for Team of the Year appearances, but Virgil has PFA, Premier League and UEFA Player of the Year trophy’s to console him. Oh, and he also came second by a whisker in the 2019 Ballon d’Or too.
With Ferdinand long-since retired, Van Dijk still has time to close the honours gap even further. Two great defenders, but we know who we’re picking.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
