Liverpool Captain Virgil van Dijk Extends Contract Amidst Title Race
Virgil van Dijk, the 33-year-old Dutch center-back, has signed a new two-year deal with Liverpool, mere days before potentially lifting his second Premier League trophy with the Reds. Van Dijk's late winner against West Ham on Sunday has extended their lead over second-place Arsenal to 13 points and strengthened their title hopes.
Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has hailed Van Dijk as "the best center-back we've ever seen in the Premier League," surpassing John Terry's previous title as the greatest defender in the league's history. Carragher's praise follows Van Dijk's impressive performances against top-tier strikers such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
Since his arrival at Liverpool in 2018, Van Dijk has justified the world-record £75m transfer fee paid to Southampton. He has been instrumental in the team's success, helping them win the Champions League in 2019 and ending a 30-year wait for a top-flight title in 2020.
Van Dijk's impressive stats include a 69.9% win ratio and a 42.4% clean-sheet percentage, higher than any other Premier League center-back with 200 or more starts. He has also won a higher percentage of duels and aerial duels than any other center-back since his debut. Additionally, no defender has scored more Premier League goals since Van Dijk's debut in 2018 than his 20 goals.
Source: BBC Sports Football
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