Virgil van Dijk Names His Five Best-Ever Teammates — But Sadio Mané Is Left Out
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed the five best players he has ever shared a dressing room with, and his selection has sparked plenty of debate after Sadio Mané was surprisingly omitted.
With an impressive career spanning Celtic, Southampton, Liverpool and the Netherlands, Van Dijk has played alongside some of football’s biggest stars. His trophy cabinet includes Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and the 2019 UEFA Player of the Year award.
When asked to name the best player he had ever played with, Van Dijk admitted it was impossible to choose just one. Instead, he selected five:
Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie.
The choices include three of his former Liverpool teammates, with Firmino, Salah and Alisson playing major roles alongside Van Dijk during Liverpool’s successful era under Jürgen Klopp.
Sneijder and Van Persie were also standout names from Van Dijk’s time with the Netherlands. Both enjoyed highly successful careers at club and international level.
However, the biggest surprise was the absence of Sadio Mané.
Van Dijk and Mané shared the pitch for Liverpool on 199 occasions, forming part of one of the most successful attacking teams in the club’s history. Mané scored 120 goals and provided 40 assists in 269 appearances for Liverpool, winning both the Champions League and Premier League.
The Senegalese forward was also Klopp’s first major signing at Liverpool and became a club legend before eventually leaving Anfield.
Despite Mané’s huge contribution, Van Dijk opted for five other names when asked to select his best-ever teammates.
