Both centre-backs are among the best the Premier League has ever seen, with six league titles, two Champions League triumphs and five domestic cups between them.
But recently, the pair have been the subject of heated arguments, after Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher claimed that Van Dijk is ‘miles better’ than Vidic ever was, even with the Dutchman enduring a nightmare season with the Reds.
He said: ‘Rio [Ferdinand] & JT [John Terry] had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the Premier League era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.’
Ferdinand himself then spoke out, having been Vidic’s defensive partner for many years at Old Trafford, saying: ‘He [Carragher] mentioned [Fernando] Torres – I think Torres scored three goals in 15 games against Vidic.
‘I think it’s a bit of a myth. I think he had a couple of dodgy moments in those games, and he got sent off a couple of times, but that’s kind of been amplified into saying he got tortured every time we played against Torres, which wasn’t the case.
‘I don’t know why Vidic’s name was thrown in there. People are hammering Virgil van Dijk about his performances this season, he’s had a bit of an off season – which he has, and I think he’d admit that.’
Silvestre has now weighed in on the matter but has refused to take a side, praising both players, with a special mention to Vidic whom he played alongside from 2006 to 2008.
‘I think you can put Nemanja Vidic and Virgil van Dijk in the same category and level,’ the former United and Arsenal told bettingexpert.com.
‘As a centre-back your main job is to defend. If you look at things such as recoveries, blocks and interception I think they would be similar in terms of numbers.
‘They have a different style of defending. Van Dijk is about anticipating. Vida was better at 1 vs 1’s. Those are the main differences.
‘Otherwise they are both good on the ball and at reading the game. Different styles but both are super effective and very good defenders.
‘Vida at the top of his game, could play for the best teams in the world. Real Madrid, Juventus. He played for Manchester United for many years when they were extremely strong at the back.’
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