Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic has been voted a better defender than Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk by a landslide after Jamie Carragher’s bold take.
Vidic, who arrived at Old Trafford in 2006 from Spartak Moscow, forged a formidable partnership with Rio Ferdinand in the United defence under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 41-year-old former United defender was later named club captain and hoovered up the major silverware during his glittering spell at the Premier League side.
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Vidic lifted five Premier League titles, three League Cups and a Champions League with United before departing Old Trafford in 2014 for Inter Milan.
Liverpool legend Carragher sparked heated backlash from rival fans on social media after claiming Van Dijk is “far better” than former Serbia defender Vidic.
Van Dijk has been widely hailed for his impact at Anfield since his £75m move from Southampton, with the Liverpool defender establishing himself as a key figure under Jurgen Klopp.
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However, the 31-year-old Dutchman has come under scathing criticism over his form this season, which prompted Sky Sports pundit Carragher to defend him after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
“VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you [forgotten] his performances against [Fernando] Torres?” Carragher tweeted.
“Rio [Ferdinand] & JT [John Terry] 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.”
He added: “Never mind the best CB in the league, he’s been the best player in the league along with KDB [Kevin De Bruyne] for four years before this one.
“We have never spoken about other CB’s [sic] being the best player before, that shows the level he was at.
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“If you or anyone thinks Vidic is better than VVD, you’re not watching the same game! He’s miles better!!”
SPORTbible took to Twitter and posted a readers’ poll asking who is the better defender out of Vidic and Van Dijk after Carragher’s remarks.
And Vidic came out as the clear favourite after taking home the lion’s share of the vote, with the ex-United centre-back receiving over 70 per cent of the vote.
Van Dijk only managed to secure 26.2 per cent of the vote, which was dwarfed by Vidic’s 73.8 per cent in the final result.
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Topics: Nemanja Vidic, Virgil Van Dijk, Manchester United, Liverpool, Premier League, England, Football
Adnan Riaz