Virgil van Dijk has been a stalwart for Liverpool ever since his transfer from Southampton.
Although most rival fans felt like the Reds overpaid for the Dutchman, he soon put those rumours to bed after he quickly became one of the best centre-backs in the world.
Over the last few years, it’s hard to think of a better defender in football than the Liverpool captain.
He constantly makes those around him better and, even though he’s now 33 years old, he’s still managed to hit Premier League highs for defensive contributions this season.
If Liverpool didn’t have Van Dijk among their ranks, it’s hard to imagine they’d have won as many trophies as they did during Jurgen Klopp’s era, which would have been nothing short of a travesty.
Brian Brobbey names Virgil van Dijk as the toughest opponent he’s ever faced
The 2025-26 summer transfer window saw a lot of change take place across the board.
Indeed, Liverpool spent over £400million on improving their ranks, but since they also sold around £200million worth of players, their net spend was an awful lot lower.
The rest of the Premier League also spent heavily, with Sunderland spending the most out of the newly-promoted clubs.
And, on deadline day, they confirmed the arrival of Brian Brobbey from Ajax, and, when asked by Sunderland’s official X account who the toughest opponent he’d ever faced was, he simply replied: “Virgil.”
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk still strikes fear into his opponents
Although Van Dijk may be getting on a bit for an outfield player now, the fact that Liverpool offered him a two-year contract extension shows that they believe he still has a lot to give.
Even just from the Reds’ first three Premier League games of the season, it’s been clear that Van Dijk is still the best central defender that Slot has among his ranks.
Indeed, if Marc Guehi’s deadline day transfer didn’t fall through, there would likely be some competition for the Dutchman, but since Crystal Palace pulled out of that deal, Liverpool are going to have to stick with what they’ve got.
Of course, this could all change by next summer if Liverpool choose to try and sign the Englishman for free, but the fact that Van Dijk is still on top of his game will no doubt help them on their quest to retain the Premier League title.
At the moment, it’s anyone’s guess what could happen, but the fact that Van Dijk is still striking fear into his opponents means that, for now at least, things should be smooth-sailing.
That is, as long as he doesn’t end up getting injured, of course.
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