Virgil van Dijk used to stop anyone from dribbling past him for a long time, but the Liverpool defender’s lack of form meant he was left out of the top five list.
In 2019, it seemed like everyone could only wonder whether Liverpool’s number one at centre-back would dribble or not.
He went on to go a paltry 64 games without being beaten by someone throwing the ball at him, which basically seems like a made up statistic.
Even when he was finally beaten by Gabriel Jesus, it didn’t count as the time came in the Community Shield which was considered an unofficial game.
The Dutch defender didn’t do so well last season and received a lot of criticism.
The ‘Van Disney’ moniker was floated around a few times during the campaign and a few months ago it was knocked down by Ivan Perisic.
None of this stopped Jamie Carragher from claiming the former Southampton star was better than Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic, who failed to convince many.
And the numbers don’t help the 31-year-old progress either, as he isn’t on the FBREF list of defenders in Europe who are the best against dribbling.
5. Sven Botman – Newcastle United: 22/28 = 78.6%
4. Eder Militao – Real Madrid: 26/33 = 78.8%
3. Daniel Vivian – Athletic Bilbao: 36/45 = 80%
2. Kim Min-jae – Napoli: 25/29 = 86.2%
1. Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Manchester United: 23/25 = 92%
It is certainly good news for United fans with Wan-Bissaka topping the league tables and that he continues to prove he is the best one-on-one in the world.
Certainly Leicester City star James Maddison believes so, following the ex-Crystal Palace star’s efforts in the FA Cup semi-final.
There could be more good news for Erik ten Hag’s side when it comes to the second player on the list, Napoli defender Kim.
After helping his side win Serie A this season, the 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer.
It could come down to United being able to get rid of Harry Maguire in the transfer window, as Ten Hag will likely have to sell to boost his transfer kitty.
