Who is the best defender in Premier League history? When Ferdinand & Van Dijk picked top 5 | OneFootball

The debate has come back to light.

Fans have been discussing on all walks of social media who is the best centre-back of the Premier League era.

The topic has divided opinion, obviously.

Carragher claims Van Dijk is 'far better' than Vidic

It began when former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher sparked the conversation on Twitter by waving the Virgil van Dijk flag.

Replying to a tweet regarding van Dijk’s drop off this term, Carragher said:

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“VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you forgot his performances against Torres? Rio & JT had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now.

“No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.” Carragher went on to claim.

There’s no doubt that Van Dijk’s influence on Liverpool’s rampant success was nothing short of brilliant, but fans are quick to jump the gun once a player has a subpar season.

A dip in form has followed a significant knee injury but the Liverpool icon is adamant Van Dijk is simply having an off-season.

Carragher’s main point was that Vidic always endured a torrid time up against Liverpool’s very own Fernando Torres.

Ferdinand attempted to debunk the ‘myth’ that the Serbian international struggled against El Nino on his Vibe with FIVE YouTube show.

“I see Jamie Carragher tweeted something about Van Dijk being better than Vidic. I think Torres scored three goals in 15 games against Vidic. I think it’s a bit of a myth,” Ferdinand stated.

“Marcus Rashford I think has got six in 13 games against Liverpool. Does that mean he’s tortured van Dijk and van Dijk can’t handle him?”

Rio Ferdinand and Virgil van Dijk discuss their top five

If we cast our minds back to last year, Ferdinand and Van Dijk joined forces for BT Sport to determine their top five.

The pair conversed about Van Dijk’s stratospheric rise to becoming an elite defender.

They both then went in-depth and discussed the Liverpool defender’s strengths and how well he is able to handle attackers in today's game.

Then, it was down to the nitty-gritty.

VIDEO: Rio Ferdinand picks five best centre backs in Premier League history

Up stepped the former Manchester United man who backed himself and placed himself at the summit of the list, ahead of some Premier League greats.

Closely following him, by no surprise, was his partner in crime, Nemanja Vidic, as the pair shared a laugh at Ferdinand’s obvious inclusion.

What came as maybe more of a surprise was that Ferdinand then chose Van Dijk, claiming that the Dutchman boasts the full package.

Jaap Stam and John Terry followed in fourth and fifth place respectively as Ferdinand closed his ranking, leaving the likes of Vincent Kompany and Sol Campbell in the dark.

Ferdinand finished by claiming that a shift in his rankings may be imminent due to van Dijk’s ever-flourishing career.

VIDEO: Van Dijk picks five best centre backs in Premier League history

Liverpool’s colossal defender then took to the board to form his list.

He returned the favour and also chose Ferdinand to top his list, praising his versatility to play in the modern era.

Kompany, who failed to make Ferdinand’s list, was van Dijk’s second choice.

His fellow countryman followed as the pair showered Stam with praise for his time in England and Italy, but also for his country.

Chelsea’s John Terry made it in fourth place as van Dijk referenced his infamous record of the least goals conceded in a season, which was 15.

To finish off his list, the ‘underrated’ Sami Hyypia was included and praised for his on-ball ability and importance to Liverpool.

Interestingly, van Dijk left himself out of his own top five list, but we have a feeling that his exclusion was a showing of modesty.

He went on to say how he hopes to be remembered in the same breath as the rest of these English topflight legends.

Regardless of your opinion, it was refreshing to see two established legends of the game respectfully hash out a widely discussed topic.

What’s up next for Virgil van Dijk?

Liverpool have one remaining aim for this season: secure top four and Champions League football.

In a season to forget, the Dutch international will be looking to get back to his best, with plenty of years left in the tank.

The Reds travel to Leeds on Monday April 17 in the of three points.