Virgil van Dijk vs Nemanja Vidic: Who was better?

If Nemanja Vidic was in charge of settling this debate, there would only be one winner.

The former Manchester United stopper possesses a crippling inability to offer himself any praise and is reluctant to dwell on the past. But is less tongue-tied when it comes to Liverpool's number four.

"Virgil van Dijk is one of the best - if not the best - centre-backs in the world," he declared in 2022. The only criticism Vidic could lay at Van Dijk's door was his allegiance to Liverpool. "His weakness is that he’s playing for the wrong club."

Club loyalties are what define this debate for most fans. Yet, when the rivalry (and Vidic's chronic humility) is put aside, who was actually the better player?

Defending

Sir Alex Ferguson revelled in the fact that he could call upon a defender that thrived amid the fight of a Premier League game.

"How many centre-halves can you name who actually like defending?" he once asked. "Vidic liked it. He loved the challenge of sticking his head in there."

That idea of putting his body on the line was echoed by Robin van Persie: "When I think of him as a footballer, Nemanja puts his head where other players are scared to put their feet."

The art of defending is not all about actively winning the ball. When Van Dijk led Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2020, he made fewer tackles than Manchester City's ephemeral attacking midfielder David Silva. Yet, that's not to say he was bad at tackling, or defending, he simply impacted the game in more subtle ways.

Vidic was a much more front-foot defender than Van Dijk - whose game is more similar to that of Vidic's long-term partner Rio Ferdinand. The no-nonsense Serbian edges this category, but it's not as straightforward a decision as one may think.

Passing

Ferdinand was often regarded as the silkier member of United's centre-back pairing, but he has been keen to dispel the myth that Vidic was a purely destructive force.

"As he will tell you with a smile, he could also play with the ball too, which made him complete and a great defender," Ferdinand insisted. "Because he was so good in the aggressive/attacking the ball areas people probably looked over his ability with the ball to his annoyance!"

There is no need for any of Van Dijk's teammates, past or present, to come out of the woodwork in defence of the Dutchman's game on the ball - it is already considered one of his best assets. Rarely does Van Dijk squander simple possession and he regularly peppers his game with trademark booming switches of play.

These vicious diagonal balls routinely unbalance opposition sides clogging up the middle of the pitch and present Liverpool's wide players - arguably the strongest aspect of Jurgen Klopp's team - with possession in the final third. Van Dijk outdid himself with a defence-splitting pass onto Sadio Mane's laces in the 2019 Champions League quarter-finals which is well beyond Vidic's skillset, whatever Ferdinand might claim.

Pace

Speed was never Vidic's greatest strength. The Serbian's tendency to drop deep, limiting the space in behind to defend, particularly infuriated Ferguson as Manchester United lost two Champions League finals to Barcelona between 2009 and 2011.

Vidic would not have suited the ludicrously high line which Klopp demands of his high-pressing Liverpool team. At his best, Van Dijk is the perfect foil for this balancing act, with the quickness of feet - and mind - to repeatedly tempt opponents offside.

To underline his fleetness of foot, the 6'4 Dutchman recorded the fastest sprint across the entire 2018/19 Champions League season, outstripping the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Leroy Sane and Kyle Walker with a top speed of 34.5km/hr, a velocity Vidic would struggle to match in a car.

Fear factor

Michael Carrick crystallised the opinion of many to have witnessed the shaven-headed Serb charging around the turf when he claimed that Vidic "scared centre-forwards to death".

While Vidic's in-your-face style and matching death stare naturally lent itself to an imposing facade, Van Dijk inspires his own gurgles of fear.

An hour into Inter's Champions League tie with Liverpool last season, the Nerazzurri striker Lautaro Martinez was faced with a one-on-one against Van Dijk. With the ball at his feet and almost Liverpool's entire half at his disposal, the Argentine turned down the chance to run at Van Dijk, meekly stuttering to a halt before a recovering defender toed the ball away.

Even if Van Dijk does deserve to take this category, I'm not going to be the one to tell Vidic he's not scary enough.

Conclusion

Recency bias is no friend to Van Dijk in this debate. The freshest memories of the Dutchman revolve around Liverpool's dire current campaign which hasn't flattered many members of a squad that came within two results of an unprecedented quadruple last season.

Both are immensely talented footballers - rather than solely defenders - but the imperious air that Van Dijk carries at his best sees him come out on top in this particular comparison.

Troy Deeney aptly summed up what makes Van Dijk so impossible to play against: "He’s too big, too strong, too quick, too good on the ball, loves fighting, a good head of hair. One of those guys that sprays on his top as well, so it smells lovely!"