The past quarter century at Liverpool has seen some amazing talents come through the club and leave their mark. Today, I rank the best center-backs that have played for the Reds in the last 25 years.
This means you won't see names such as Alan Hansen, Ron Yeats, Emylyn Hughes and others. Without further ado, here are the five best central defenders at Liverpool in the last 25 years.
5. Stephane Henchoz (July 1999 - Jan 2005)
Henchoz is almost a forgotten name sometimes when recalling some of the best defenders in Liverpool history. That's a shame because even though it wasn't the longest tenure, his time at Anfield was very good.
He was part of the defense that helped the Reds win a treble in the 200/01 campaign. His style was not flashy by any means, as he was more than willing to throw any part of his body in front of a shot.
His determination and passion carried him on many occasions and the club was better off for it.
4. Jamie Carragher (July 1996 - July 2013)
Now, while Carragher was never one of the most physically gifted defenders to grace the pitch, his football IQ and will more than made up for it.
Nearly 750 appearances for Liverpool has to count for something in this kind of rankings. He was a stalwart for the club through some of their best times and some of the more difficult years. Through it all, you could never question his dedication to the cause.
Few had his ability to marshal a defense in any situation and his leadership qualities put him above Henchoz for me.
3. Daniel Agger (Jan 2006 - August 2014)
Here is a player that would have thrived in the system deployed by Jurgen Klopp today. His ball-playing ability was well above the normal center-half and he had an elegance to his game that would fit in any era.
He was also more than comfortable getting in on the attack and had the technical ability to make things happen.
He formed a nice partnership with an honorable mention for this list, Martin Skrtel. Agger was certainly a fan favorite and a great player.
2. Sami Hyypia (July 1999 - July 2009)
The big man from Finland made 464 appearances for Liverpool during his career while also adding an impressive 50 goal contributions in that time.
He was an imposing presence in the Liverpool backline whenever he stepped on the pitch and he made sure the opposition remembered playing him.
He formed partnerships with Henchoz, Carragher and Agger from this last at certain points. This versatility is a strong reflection of the compatibility of his game. He could read things before they happened but also had the physicality to handle Premier League forwards.
1. Virgil Van Dijk (Jan 2018 - Present)
Was there ever a doubt? Virgil could be in contention for the best Liverpool defender ever, let alone the last 25 years. As it were, he takes the mantle from Hyypia due to his all-around excellence from Day 1.
He has the Carragher football IQ, coupled with the Hyypia physical dominance and a sprinkling of Agger passing. Yet, he takes all of those tools to the next level.
For a center-back to be a runner-up for the Ballon D'or, speaks volumes about his game and indicates where he should fall on a list like this.