John Stones better than Virgil van Dijk as he’s ranked against Premier League and England greats

John Stones is England’s greatest defender since Bobby Moore, according to talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings.

The former Manchester City centre-back has also been hailed as better than Virgil van Dijk ahead of his move to Serie A.

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Stones is a free agent having left City at the end of last season, bringing a trophy-laden decade at the club to an end.

The 32-year-old is set to join reigning Italian champions Inter Milan on a two-year deal.

His imminent arrival comes despite interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal this summer.

Prior to Stones completing the switch, Jennings and Ade Oladipo debated his legacy live on Drive.

England’s ‘greatest’ defender

Before the comparisons to Van Dijk, Jennings labelled the former Everton man as England’s best defender for 60 years.

He exclaimed: “Greatest (England) defender since Bobby Moore. Of course he is.

“He’s England’s greatest defender. If you look at what he’s done.”

Stones has won 94 caps for the Three Lions since making his debut aged 20 in 2014, scoring three goals.

Meanwhile, this summer’s World Cup represented his sixth major international tournament.

Turning his attention to Stones’ City achievements, Jennings pinpointed the 2018/19 Premier League title race.

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Pep Guardiola’s side were crowned champions as they finished one point clear of Liverpool, who lost just once all season.

The Reds’ only defeat came away to City in January 2019, with Stones making a crucial goal-line clearance during the 2-1 victory.

Highlighting the importance of Stones’ intervention, Jennings said: “Liverpool would have won the league that season. Liverpool lost one game that entire season. They lost one game.

“And the reason that they lost one game that entire season and didn’t win the league, the year that Man City won the league, was because John Stones produced a season-defining clearance off the line.

“So when people talk about great moments when teams have won the league, you want to talk about what Arsenal did at Anfield in 1989.

“You want to talk about what (Sergio) Aguero did against Queens Park Rangers. People should talk about what John Stones did. 1.12cm to clear that ball off the line, it won City the league.

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“So when you say there hasn’t been the moment, there’s the moment.”

Stones’ Premier League legacy

The debate quickly turned to Stones’ standing amongst the Premier League’s best defenders, namely Van Dijk.

Asked if he had ever been the best centre-back in the league, Jennings replied: “I would argue that John Stones, being at the heart of a Manchester City defence.

“A Manchester City team that retained a league title for four years in a row, won a treble, allowed Pep Guardiola to almost redefine the way that teams play football.

“What Pep Guardiola did, and he chose John Stones to do, was win a treble. The way they won that treble was because of what happened to John Stones.”

However, Oladipo hit back with his own argument for Van Dijk, who has been a near ever-present for Liverpool since 2018.

He explained: “Virgil van Dijk, apart from the injury season, has played 50 plus games every single season he’s been at Liverpool.

“In fact, he’s played every minute of every Premier League game, barring the injury hit season, since he’s been at Liverpool.”

Jennings continued to back Stones, though, who won six Premier League titles and the treble during ten years at City.

Having joined the club from Everton in 2016, he made a total of 295 appearances across all competitions.

He responded by stating: “He’s been there for the entirety of Pep Guardiola. So Pep Guardiola, when they were spending all of that money, when they had all of those riches, when they were winning all of that silverware, he was an ever-present.

“They never felt like they needed to move him on. They never ever felt like they needed to improve upon him.”

Jennings continued: “It would always be Stones and (Vincent) Kompany. Then it became Stones and (Ruben) Dias. Then it became Stones and (Aymeric) Laporte.

“It was always Stones plus one if Stones was fit, always. The way that he played for Man City, the amount of trophies that he won. He’s won as many league titles as Rio Ferdinand.”

Van Dijk ‘best in the world’

Oladipo hit back by referencing Van Dijk’s status within world football, having finished second behind Lionel Messi for the Ballon d’Or in 2019.

He recalled: “I think he’s a fantastic defender, but you’re talking about Virgil van Dijk, who at one stage in his career was considered the best defender in the world.

“He was the favourite for the Ballon d’Or, people say he was robbed of the Ballon d’Or. So this is not even a defender discussion. He was considered the best player.

“John Stones has never been considered the best defender, let alone the best player.”

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For Jennings, though, Stones’ legacy is also boosted by his off-field behaviour.

He concluded: “I say this as a compliment to John Stones, but he’s not at all newsworthy. He’s not at all newsworthy.

“I genuinely don’t know his wife’s name. I know John Terry’s wife’s name. I know the story of various footballers because they’re almost tabloid-like.

“John Stones is just a consummate professional who’s never put a foot out of line, who’s done his job to the maximum of his potential for 10 years.

“He’s served Man City for ten years, for Pep Guardiola’s entire reign, in the most dominant period of club football in this country’s history.

“For some reason, and I’m not suggesting you’re part of this because I know you respect him and I know you rate him very highly, but I don’t think that people rate him that highly.”

Stones has twice been named in the PFA Team of the Year during his career.

He was also included in the FIFPRO World 11 in 2023 following City’s treble triumph.