The 3 Premier League centre-backs better than Van Dijk according to Alan Shearer
During an episode of the Match of the Day Top 10 podcast, Alan Shearer was asked to rank the top 10 centre-backs in Premier League history.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk made the top 10, although Shearer only had him as the fourth best in the competition’s history.
“He’s a game changer for Liverpool – he took them to where they wanted to go,” is what Shearer said about the Dutch international.
“They have this pressing game and they have the confidence in him that they can leave him one v one, it’s not a problem because if they want to knock it over the top he can turn and be as quick as anyone.”
According to Shearer, these are the three Premier League centre-backs who are superior to the Dutch defender.
Rio Ferdinand
Comparing defenders who played in different eras is always a tricky task and we can hardly begrudge Shearer for placing Ferdinand third on his list.
The former Manchester United star won six Premier League titles and made the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on six separate occasions.
Liverpool and United fans will often squabble over who the superior defender is, but according to Shearer, he thinks that Ferdinand just edges it.
“A Rolls Royce of a centre-half – elegant, could bring the ball out with pace, could start the move, could stop the move, clever, could read the game,” is how Shearer described Ferdinand.
John Terry
The former Chelsea skipper was named as the second-best Premier League centre-back by Shearer.
Terry captained Chelsea to five Premier League titles and undoubtedly ranks among his generation’s greatest defenders.
He placed 11th in the 2005 Ballon d’Or and made the PFA Team of the Year on four separate occasions.
“The number of times we’ve sat and discussed Van Dijk’s diagonal balls into the forwards at Liverpool [is huge], but Terry could do that with either foot, he could play in the modern game no problem,” Shearer said while discussing Terry.
We reckon him and Van Dijk would’ve made quite the formidable partnership, although Shearer did have one defender ahead of them both.
Tony Adams
According to Shearer himself, Adams is the best centre-back in Premier League history.
The former Arsenal captain was a force to be reckoned with during his prime and Shearer has claimed that he’s the toughest defender that he’s ever come up against.
“I would come off with cut eyes, a broken nose and cut lip after a game against him, but always shake hands,” Shearer said.
“Not as good as Ferdinand at spraying the ball around but what a competitor.
“He was the best centre-half I’ve played against I think, in that era in terms of how aggressive you could be as a centre-half.
“He played in that back four that was unbelievable and had a great goalkeeper behind him.
“He was an unbelievable leader, organiser, tackler, he could play as well, he was tough. The best centre-half I’ve ever played against.”
READ NEXT: The 10 best full-backs in Premier League history according to Alan Shearer
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the top 25 Premier League appearance makers of the 2020s?