What's the story?
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has named his top picks for the best defenders in the world, while also taking a dig at Real Madrid counterpart Sergio Ramos.
In case you didn't know...
Lovren was at the centre of a controversy during the World Cup when he called himself one of the best defenders in the world.
Speaking to Sky Sports this summer, the Croatian defender said, "It's something special for me. From my point of view, people were saying I had a difficult season but I don't agree with that."
"I showed that I took Liverpool to the Champions League final and now with my national team we are in the final."
"I think people should recognise that I'm one of the best defenders in the world and not just talk nonsense I will say."
Lovren has since had difficulties in getting back to his best form and has only featured twice for Liverpool so far this season.
The heart of the matter
The Liverpool defender has now named the players who he thinks qualify as the best defenders in the world.
Lovren's list featured Van Dijk, Raphael Varane and PSG’s Thiago Silva.
Speaking to COPA90 in an interview, the Croatian said, "Virgil [Van Dijk] I would say because we had our great season last season. We reached the final of the Champions League."
"I like Varane. He deserves a lot of credit but he doesn't get it as much as Ramos gets. I don't agree with that. He's definitely better than Ramos. He won the Champions League, he won the World Cup so he should be the best defender in the world."
"And I'll always consider Thiago Silva. He's really good and experienced. He's not so tall but he jumps very high. He's strong."
The defender went on to take a dig at Sergio Ramos saying, "Sometimes I don’t deserve the hate."
"If you look, Ramos has many more mistakes than me. But he’s at Real Madrid, he does a mistake, you win 5-1, 5-2, nobody sees the mistake."
What's next?
Liverpool kicked off the new season in style and have now equalled their best start ever after their win over Cardiff City at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp's side is set to face Unai Emery's Arsenal in a much-awaited clash this weekend.