Aymeric Laporte disagrees with Virgil van Dijk, claims Sergio Ramos is benchmark for all defenders

Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk isn’t a fan of Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos.

The Spain international dealt a huge blow on the Reds’ chances in the finals of last season’s Champions League after his robust challenge on Mohamed Salah ended the Egyptian’s participation in the match.

Van Dijk recently told De Telegraaf that Ramos isn’t the best defender in the world and that he’s not his type of centre-back.

However, Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte disagrees. The Frenchman believes the controversial star sets the benchmark for defenders everywhere and he is probably the best in the world.

“Do I want to be the best defender in Europe? Of course. Any defender will tell you that – who wouldn’t want to be the best?,” the 24-year-old told Evening Standard.

“Sergio Ramos is probably the best centre-back in the world at the moment as we know we have to match his standards or better him if we are to be as good as he is.

“City have Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones – all great defenders and we can all learn off each other. To get to the top, you must have an edge to your game, like Ramos does.”

Ramos is a master of the game’s dark arts as evident by the number of 24 red cards he has received in his career.

The 32-year-old has earned more than 270 cards during his playing career – more than any other player in the history of La Liga, the Champions League, and the Spain national team.

Nevertheless, his influence at both ends of the pitch sets him apart from a lot of his peers.

Ramos has close to an incredible 100 goals in his professional career for both clubs and country and has won every trophy available at both club and country level.

It’s understandable why Laporte singles him out, and Van Dijk will do well to put that Champions League loss behind him and acknowledge Ramos’ greatness.

https://en.as.com/en/2018/02/24/football/1519467157_104328.html