Why Liverpool’s Van Dijk is best the center back in the world

Virgil van Dijk has been named the best center back in the world in this year’s ninth annual edition of the FC 100. What’s his secret, and how has the Liverpool defender managed to stay at the peak of his game at 33?

Here’s a breakdown of the Dutch player’s standout season, one in which he dominated games at the heart of Liverpool’s defense, both in and out of possession.

Van Dijk has been one of the senior figures at Anfield since his record-breaking move from Southampton in January 2018 briefly made him the most expensive defender in the world. In his final season as manager, Jürgen Klopp cemented Van Dijk’s status by handing him the captain’s armband for 2023-24, following Jordan Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia. Upon taking over as manager, Arne Slot saw no reason to change that this past season.

“I haven’t worked with a player like him in terms of leadership,” Slot recently said of Van Dijk. “[It’s] the energy he brings to the team in every single training session, and how professional he is for himself, but also the way he tries to influence his teammates — especially the younger ones. Ryan [Gravenberch] is a great example of that: [Van Dijk] is constantly on him, trying to make him even more of a professional than he already is.

“[Van Dijk is] having a big influence at this club.”

After a run of seasons in which he struggled to stay fit for club or country, Van Dijk has long put fitness concerns behind him. He has admitted in the past that it took about a year after returning from an ACL injury — suffered in a collision with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford — to feel fully free on the pitch again.

That period saw plenty of criticism aimed his way for some middling performances, with pundits thinking he wasn’t the same player. But over the past two seasons, the former FC Groningen and Willem II defender has proved those doubts wrong. Van Dijk is still the best center back in the game, and with the ink dry on a new two-year contract at Liverpool, he shows no sign of giving up that title anytime soon.

Anticipation is his greatest strength

Watch Van Dijk bossing Liverpool’s back line, and you can’t help but be impressed. Stationed on the left side of central defense, he controls everything, constantly managing the team’s shape and being quick to correct teammates when they lose their positioning.

Even when Liverpool are attacking, Van Dijk is already thinking defensively, organizing the structure behind the ball to prevent quick counterattacks in transition. That anticipation also defines his individual approach to defending: You rarely see him dive into rash tackles, and he handles defending in space with ease. By spotting threats early and positioning himself smartly, Van Dijk almost never gets caught out — even at the highest level.

Add to that his physical qualities, and it’s clear why he’s so dominant. Despite his age and injury history, he remains explosive and agile — and paired with smart timing in challenges, he’s hard to beat.

Last season, only Everton’s James Tarkowski won a higher percentage of aerial duels (74.6%) than Van Dijk (72.1%). On the ground, only one Premier League player had a better success rate than the Liverpool and Netherlands captain.

A key figure in the buildup

The tactical shift from Klopp to Slot hasn’t fazed Van Dijk either, with Klopp’s direct, high-octane style being replaced with a more patient approach.

“If you can put someone through on goal, do it. If not, keep the ball,” Slot explained. “Under Klopp, we often played forward as quickly as possible. It could leave us very exposed. I say: Balance the risk against the reward.”

Liverpool’s more measured buildup this season suits Van Dijk’s calm style, though Slot sees his captain as even more valuable on the ball than off it. “People have praised his defending for years, but I focus on his work in possession,” Slot said. “He’s brilliant: the diagonal switches, the through balls, the way he builds from the back … outstanding.”

The numbers back it up. Van Dijk posted the highest passing accuracy (91.7%) in the Premier League last season, and many of his passes go forward. What stands out is that a large share of Van Dijk’s forward passes end up in the final third — the most advanced zone on the pitch. That shift hasn’t gone unnoticed by ESPN Netherlands pundit Kees Kwakman, a former teammate of Van Dijk at Groningen and one of the FC 100 voters.

“He’s a very good player. We’ve seen more of that this season,” Kwakman said. “He’s got a fantastic passing range, and builds play really well. Slot put more focus on that part of his game since arriving at Liverpool, and Van Dijk’s shown he’s got real quality on the ball too.”

Even when Liverpool are pressed high, particularly in big matches, Van Dijk remains composed on the ball. The players in front of him — like midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, all of whom were also named to this season’s FC 100 — help with movement and passing options, but it’s his own decision-making and willingness to attempt risky passes that stand out.

At 33, Van Dijk shows no signs of decline, and on current form, he’s still irreplaceable for Liverpool.