“Stats don’t lie” - Chelsea legend John Terry responds to Virgil van Dijk and Rio Ferdinand over best center-backs in PL history claims

John Terry responded to Virgil van Dijk and Rio Ferdinand over their list of top-five centre-backs in the history of the Premier League.

Manchester United legend Ferdinand invited Van Dijk on the “Between the Lines” series and asked him for his opinion on the best centre-backs in Premier League history. The two went on to talk about some familiar names, with Ferdinand choosing himself as the best, with Nemanja Vidic, Virgil Van Dijk, Jaap Stam and John Terry taking the rest of the positions in that order.

Van Dijk himself opted for Ferdinand as the best, with Vincent Kompany and Jaap Stam rounding off the top-three. The Liverpool defender chose John Terry as his fourth pick and put former Liverpool man Sami Hyypia in fifth position. Needless to say, John Terry, one of the best defenders to ever play in England, had a problem with the list.

The Chelsea legend posted a range of statistics on Instagram, claiming that while opinions might be subjective, statistics do not lie. Terry is often regarded as one of the best defenders football has ever seen and was famous for the “Terry position” that allowed him to stop dangerous crosses and low balls into the box.

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Is Virgil Van Dijk one of the best defenders of Premier League history?

In a nutshell, yes. Virgil van Dijk has maintained a high level over the past few years and has dominated proceedings for Liverpool at the back. Fans might argue that the big centre-back never got to play against the more difficult attackers of the previous generation.

However, Van Dijk has come up against some absolute mavericks of world football in recent years and has rarely been found out. His overall stature, positioning, leadership skills and the aura he possesses means that he has a big claim of being considered one of English football’s all-time elites.

However, the same is true for John Terry. The overall game has grown less physical in recent years, something defenders such as Van Dijk have made full use of in recent times. Of course, the Dutch centre-back will have to maintain his current level for the seasons to come. The number of trophies he is able to acquire will also play a major role in whether he is considered to be one of the best of all-time once he hangs up his boots.