Two Premier League players could not agree on whether Chelsea legend John Terry was better than Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk.
Terry is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest centre-back in Premier League history for all that he accomplished in two decades at Stamford Bridge.
Van Dijk, however, is considered by far the best of the current crop of defenders, even ahead of Arsenal duo William Saliba and Gabriel.
The two have been compared plenty of times in recent years and it’s fair to say that the latest debate has not settled anything at all.
Premier League stars choose between John Terry and Virgil van Dijk
Brighton defenders Jean Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk, who was previously linked with Chelsea, were asked to choose between Terry and Van Dijk.
Van Hecke spoke first and chose the latter – who he sometimes plays alongside for the Netherlands national team.
He explained: “I think Van Dijk – he’s incredible. It feels like he’s still in his prime. He’s almost unbeatable. You can’t take him on, he’ll catch you. But when I was younger I watched John Terry.”
Childhood Blues fan Dunk responded: “He’s who I watched growing up, so I’m picking John Terry. But [Van Dijk] is still incredible.”
The pair were then asked whether Terry suits the modern, more technical game, and they both had no doubts.
“[Terry] was still technical though, he used to hit [diagonal passes] with his left foot,” Dunk replied. “He’d definitely be one of the best centre-backs now. His mentality for me is incredible. If you see him going into blocks,” Van Hecke added.
John Terry vs Virgil van Dijk
Van Dijk is clearly the best defender in the Premier League today and has been since he joined Liverpool for £75 million from Southampton in 2017.
And there is certainly an argument to be made that no player in his position has ever surpassed his peak level. You only have to watch the Reds’ backline fall apart whenever he’s out of the team to consider that.
However, when it comes to comparing entire careers, John Terry is leaps and bounds ahead of the Dutchman and that’s highly unlikely to change.
| Stats | John Terry | Virgil van Dijk |
| PL Titles | 5 | 1 |
| Appearances | 492 | 286 |
| Clean Sheets | 214 | 111 |
| Goals Conceded | 251 | 271 |
| Goals | 41 | 23 |
See, Van Dijk did not become a world-class defender until he was in his mid-20s, whereas Terry already belonged in elite company at 22 years old.
The Englishman played 36 games in Chelsea’s 2004-05 Premier League title-winning campaign and all 38 matches en route to becoming champions again under Jose Mourinho in 2014-15.
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