There wasn’t a moment of hesitation in my
mind when it came to choosing the player of
the year in the annual World Soccer awards.
The man who made the difference, the
footballer who had by far the most impact in
this calendar year, was totally obvious. It was
Virgil Van Dijk.
Without him Liverpool would not have
captured the Champions League and they
would not now be building on that triumph
with such dominant form in their quest to
win a first English league title for 30 years.
Van Dijk’s imposing presence, his
commanding authority, his robust tackling
and his intelligent positional awareness have
been fundamental to a Liverpool side which
now wins trophies as well as admiration for
its intensely exciting football.
He was the crucial piece of the jigsaw for
the Reds’ manager, Jurgen Klopp: the mighty
shield to complement the razor-sharp arrows
of his attack.
The Dutch master was an easy choice
for me; though perhaps not for many others.
Defenders are so rarely voted the finest player
of a year, and this has always seemed absurd.
In nearly four decades of the World Soccerhonours there have been just two defenders
to top the list: Paolo Maldini in 1994 and
Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
It is surely no coincidence that both are
Italian and enjoyed careers in a football
culture where the worth of defenders has
always been understood and celebrated.
One reason why John Charles was lionised
so mightily in Turin is because he was equally
effective both at centre-forward and centre-
back; the perfect footballer for Serie A.
But even being Italian doesn’t always help.
The finest example of a magnificent defence
being at the heart of World Cup glory was in
1982, with the supremely effective rearguard
of Gaetano Scirea, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio
Gentile and Guiseppe Bergomi.
None were even among the top threeplayers when the Ballon d’Or prize was voted
for that year. It is a sporting injustice that is
beyond comprehension.
Take a look at the all-time statistics for the
Ballon d’Or. There have been 189 choices for
the top three players since the award was
instituted in the mid-1950s but only 13 of
these names were defenders. Just 13. How
is that feasible?
How can such a fundamental part of any
football team, the defence, be worth just
6.88 per cent of the total when excellence
is judged? It defies all logic and reason.
Of course, we know that sublime skills
on the ball, coruscating forward play and a
cascade of spectacular goals are evidence
of a great footballer. We live in an era of two
superstars for the ages in Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo.
A fundamental aspect of judgement,
though, must also be which players inspire
their teams to win matches and thus lift the
prestige trophies, major domestic titles and
the Champions League.
Let’s ask another question. Why did
Liverpool just fail to win the English Premier
League last season in an epic battle with
Manchester City?
The profound answer is that
it was because City’s defence
tightened up in the final 10
matches of the campaign
when veteran captain Vincent
Kompany was selected for
every game and brought rigour
and discipline to the defence of
Pep Guardiola’s team.
It was further evidence, not
that any should be required,
that defenders are integral to
the best football teams. They
deserve to be celebrated for
their virtues, their strength
and their intelligence.
Scirea and Cabrini never
made the lists, not even the
minor placings. Nor did Wim
Suurbier or Marcel Desailly,
Morten Olsen or Alan Hansen.
In modern times there has
been no place for Gerard
Pique, Rio Ferdinand, Giorgio
Chiellini or Sergio Ramos.
This is a great pity – and the
next four decades of honours
really should not be so blind to
the great art of defending.Defenders deserve recognition – starting with Van Dijk
Jim
HOLDEN
AT THE HEART OF THE GAMEIn nearly four decades
of the World Soccer
honours there have
been just two defenders
to top the list
Majestic...Liverpool’s Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk takes the ball away from Newcastle United’s Brazilian striker JoelintonTHE WORLD THIS MONTH