Michael Owen was beaming after Liverpool came from behind to beat Villarreal 3-2 on the night and seal their place in the Champions League final for the third time in five years.
Speaking on BT Sport after the match in which Van Dijk played all 90 minutes, he made some bold claims about the centre-back.
“Listen, Van Dijk is the best centre-back on the planet right now,” Owen said.
“I’d go further and say he’s the best centre-half of all time.
“Rio Ferdinand was the best centre-back I had ever played with.
“With Van Dijk, as a centre-forward I look at him and think ‘what do you do against him?’
“He’s bigger, faster, stronger than everyone, he’s brilliant on the ball, he scores goals. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“The only thing that goes against him at the moment is his winners’ medals, as he has one Premier League title and one Champions League.
“People like [Rio] Ferdinand, [Paolo] Maldini, [Franco] Baresi, people you consider as the greatest, have numerous titles so, that’s the only thing.”
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