Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland has chosen Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as one of the three best centre-backs in the world.
Haaland, 20, lifted the Golden Boy award for 2020 after scoring 33 goals in 32 appearances for Dortmund after his January move from Red Bull Salzburg.
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Salzburg sporting director Cristoph Freund has since revealed he expects the striker to eventually join former team-mate Takumi Minamino at Liverpool.
And Haaland heaped praise on Van Dijk, who posted a fresh injury update on Tuesday, in an interview with Norwegian newspaper VG.
He said: "I think the best three central defenders in the world are Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk and Kalidou Koulibaly.
"All three are very physical, but also very intelligent on the pitch."
Haaland faced both Van Dijk and Koulibaly in the Champions League group-stages last season while at Red Bull Salzburg.
The striker came off the bench to score within minutes in a 4-3 defeat at Anfield before netting three times against Napoli over two games.
