Arsenal defender lauds Virgil van Dijk

Arsenal centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos has described Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk as ‘perfect’.

Van Dijk arrived at Liverpool from Southampton back in 2018 for a fee of £75 million. Many rival supporters did not feel Van Dijk justified that price tag at the time, but he has certainly put those claims to bed.

In 2019, Van Dijk was runner-up to Lionel Messi for the Ballon d’Or, which simply highlights just how good he has been for Liverpool.

Sokratis was keen to praise the defender for his efforts over the past 18 months when he spoke to Arsenal’s official club website.

Sokratis told Arsenal.com: “What Virgil van Dijk did last year was something very difficult for every defender to do.

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LEICESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson of Liverpool celebrate to their fans after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Liverpool FC at The King Power Stadium on December 26, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

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“Last year for him was perfect, especially for all the people close to him who helped him a lot.

“To be one of the best defenders, you need to have everything to be complete.

“It’s about focusing on the game very well, pace, power, technique also, to control the game from behind.”

Everything Sokratis said was spot on. Van Dijk has everything you need to be the best, which he currently is in his position.

It is always nice to hear rival players praising their opponents. With Sokratis being a defender himself, he can appreciate the talent that is Van Dijk.

If Liverpool were to go on and claim the Premier League title this season, Van Dijk’s name will be one of the first mentioned in regards to how the Reds claimed the title for the first time in 30 years.

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Source: anfieldhq.com