Top 3 centre-half pairings in football this season

1. Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip (Liverpool)

Liverpool v Man City - FA Community Shield

Virgil van Dijk's emergence in world football has been nothing short of fascinating. The Dutchman moved up through the youth ranks at Willem II and eventually found himself at Southampton. At the start of 2018, Jurgen Klopp brought him to Liverpool for a then world-record fee for a defender and the rest is history.

At Anfield, the Dutchman has now turned into the best defender in the world, winning the UEFA Player of the Year following his splendid 2018/19 season with Liverpool. Van Dijk is the commander at the back that Liverpool have missed for years and is a monster at the heart of the defence for his team. He is fabulous in the air and fantastic with the ball at his feet, playing out great long balls from the back that turn defence into attack. The Dutchman is quite fast too and very few players can get the better of him.

Joel Matip, on the other hand, is the perfect foil to the Dutchman. The Cameroonian is dominant in the air too and the two of them form a formidable pair at the back. Matip joined Liverpool from Schalke 04 in the summer of 2016 and has been a constant performer for Jurgen Klopp. His presence has helped van Dijk stay impregnable at the back. The Cameroonian also likes to step out from the back and can dribble past the opposition. These abilities compliment van Dijk's passing abilities very well and the two of them are the best centre-half pair in the world at the moment.