20 Feb 2026 10:17:40
Thoughts on the all time Premier League CB debate.
What are the criteria used to determine who the best player was?
Does team success really count that much?
Longevity? Eras? Statistics and records?
Personally I think the likes of Vida, Rio and Terry played at a time when you lots of attacking talent in the Premier League. Almost every team had a striker or 2 that will physically dominate 95% of the current defenders. Former Everton striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni alluded to this when he said he'll score more in this era of the Premier League.
That been said, does Van djik get points taken off because he played in a different era where the attacking talent isn't as good as the previous years.
At their peak, I think Vida was the best of them all, however, in terms of longevity he didn't play at that high level as consistently as the others. So for me, the it's a toss up between Rio and Terry, followed closely by Vida and the Van djik.
Stam, Adams, Campbell and Kompany all deserve definitely more than just a mention.
20 Feb 2026 12:21:31
What do you mean, does team come into it? Team is everything. No point in being a great player if the team is not winning. That's useless in a team sport. Team overrides everything. Also, it's impossible to judge players over different eras, especially over 10 years apart. Too many variables. But no player who does well while the team has not performed can lay claim to being a big success It's all about the team.
The new generation of supporters, Gen Zs, go on a lot about individual players and fans follow players now as much as teams. I don't get that personally, and I never will. I can't think of any individual who won a league title on their own.
20 Feb 2026 12:26:11
Vidic was incredible, but Rio had everything. They blended so well as a partnership that it's easy to think of Vidic as the grit, and Rio as the guile, but, just like the Keane and Scholes discussions, that isn't fair on either. I just think that Rio could do more things at a higher level than Vidic. I don't want to be too tribal about it, but I do think Terry is overrated. Makelele was such a protection for that Chelsea defence, and I always thought Carvalho was the best defender that Chelsea had.
Before anyone bites my head off, I do think he was a very good player, just that I don't think he warrants being in a best-ever conversation. Van Dijk has been a great player, and Stam was unbelievable - he only had 3 seasons in the EPL, so that's not enough to include - but the main rival to Rio, in my opinion, is Kompany.
20 Feb 2026 13:40:06
Schmeichel said Stam was the best he'd ever seen.
20 Feb 2026 18:21:55
Stam the best, no questions.
20 Feb 2026 18:45:57
I only posted the other day that Stam is in my top 5 fav players of all time at United. Awesome defender. Also one of my least fav Fergie decisions, and he has said himself it was one of his most regretful. Absolute beast.
When I look at players, I always ask myself if I was a teammate sitting in that dressing room, would I trust them? And, would I want to play with them? And, am I glad he's not in the other dressing room? Stam ticks all those boxes for me.
20 Feb 2026 19:37:44
Paul McGrath. Best I've ever seen.
21 Feb 2026 00:10:37
I too agree that Rio was better than Vida. I also agree that Terry was overrated. I wanted to give Virgil some credit. For me, it is about styles and roles too. We can't compare Virgil with Vidic; Vidic was a fighter, a soldier. Virgil, on the other hand, when he faces attackers, takes a step back. But Virgil is a defender of space. For about five years, when Liverpool were the best (or second best) team in the world under Klopp, he was absolutely vital for them.
Liverpool pressed a lot, with many players forward, and the opposition couldn't get over their own half because of Virgil winning every second ball like a magnet. He was always in the right place at the right time, making defending look effortless. I would definitely count him as one of the best I have seen.
21 Feb 2026 00:23:22
Think it's a bit dismissive to say Terry was only good due to having Makelele in front of him, when Makelele was only there for a 1/3rd of the time and during Terry's younger years, when he wasn't at his peak. Terry was great defensively and is the highest scoring CB in the PL.
VVD is a tough one. Clearly the best CB over the last 5 years, but I can't actually think of any within his age range that have been anything more than good, so there's a lack of contemporaries to compare him to imo.
21 Feb 2026 07:06:13
imo, it is sad to see people thinking Rio was better, when in fact they complemented each other and made the other one better. To me, Vidic was better. He would intimidate opponents.
He was a beast and a more passionate player, which would lead to him jumping from the ground just to make another block. In the end, it depends what you appreciate in a player.
21 Feb 2026 09:18:05
Van D is, or was, a very good CD, but he wasn't the best. I don't think Vidic was the best either. I didn't think he handled pace well. He was very good with the attacker in front of him, very powerful and dominant, yet Torres ran him a bit ragged a couple of times.
Terry was brilliant positionally, not the quickest, but tough as a centre half. Not the best though. Rio, a Rolls Royce of a footballer, had what the other candidates didn't have: the football ability to step forward with the ball. Definitely, as a pair, Rio and Vidic were the best of all time, but what Rio had in style he lacked in Vidic's toughness, for want of a better word.
Now, Stam, wow. SAF's worst decision. I remember hearing he was being sold over the radio and thought SAF had lost the plot. It doesn't matter how long he played in the PL; he was superb for Utd. As a pure CD, he had the toughness of Vidic, coped with pace superbly, and was almost never beaten one-on-one or in the air. No one got past him. Pace never caused him an issue. Individually, Stam was the best, given all-round attributes.
21 Feb 2026 11:45:26
Fuser, I didn't say that. I was quite clear in saying I thought he was a very good player. Maybe in future, you should try digesting the whole post before responding to it.
21 Feb 2026 15:38:51
Vidic was excellent, but one player who often took him apart was Fernando Torres. I can't think of anyone who consistently outplayed Rio.
21 Feb 2026 15:52:05
When Torres was running over Vidic, where was Rio?
21 Feb 2026 16:55:33
Liverpool fan here. Great debate. Always thought Rio was the best, then maybe Terry and then Virgil. One thing Rio and Terry did have was great partners in defence.
21 Feb 2026 17:11:40
Agree, madmax, it is a position that requires a good partnership to look good and be comfortable individually more often than not.