Richarlison says Marquinos and Ramos are better than his Liverpool rival Virgil Van Dijk

Richarlison claims that his Liverpool rival Virgil Van Dijk is not the best defender in the world; cites comparisons with Marquinos and Sergio Ramos.

Everton’s Richarlison has made a claim that has certainly raised eyebrows, according to the Brazilian winger his Liverpool counterpart Virgil Van Dijk is not the best defender in the world.

He has played down the hype around Van Dijk, who has been massively praised for his defending skills since last season and was also close to winning Ballon D’or award ahead of Lionel Messi.

Speaking to Desimpedidos about Van Dijk, Richarlison said: “People talk a lot about him, yes he is a great defender but I’ve already dribbled past him. He was chosen as one of the top three in the world as he had an excellent season.

“But yes, for me there are better defenders. When pushed on which defenders were better than Van Dijk, Richarlison added: “Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos.”

This statement comes before Liverpool is set to face their city rivals Everton on Sunday, in which Van Dijk and Richarlison are st to face off with each other.

However, Van Dijk is most certainly going to have the last laugh, as the Reds are already in a lead by 22 points in the Premier League, and considering the head-to-head record between the two clubs this season, Liverpool seems to be ahead of their Merseyside rivals.

The Dutch defender played a crucial role in Liverpool’s road to the Premier League title, moreover, last season he overpowered every defender in terms of performances.

Also read: Timo Werner Salary: How much will German striker earn at Chelsea

Now with the Merseyside derby set to be played, it remains to be seen whether the Reds be able to dominate over their rivals or would face an embarrassing result as they faced against Warford.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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