Welcome back to the second installment of my data scouting series, where I search for center-backs who mirror the qualities of Virgil van Dijk.
In Part 1, I explored the art of defending and how Van Dijk exemplifies the modern elite center-back. One of my key takeaways was that top-tier defenders often register lower numbers in traditional defensive metrics—an indication of their superior positional awareness and ability to anticipate danger before it materializes.
Using Van Dijk’s radar chart and key metrics as a benchmark, I have scouted center-backs across Europe’s top five leagues who exhibit similar characteristics. After filtering the data, the following names emerged:
Pau Cubarsí, Nico Schlotterbeck, Iñigo Martínez, Jonathan Tah, Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Alonso and Alexsandro Ribeiro.
In this article, I’ll take a closer look at these players, break down their key metrics, and ultimately highlight one who stands out as an exciting prospect.
Let’s dive in.
Defensive Metrics
In my first scatter, I have visualized how the players score relative to each other in tackles and interceptions per 90.
A common trend among all shortlisted players is their relatively low defensive metrics—an indicator of their ability to anticipate danger rather than react to it.
Jonathan Tah stands out the most, registering just 0.4 tackles per 90, which suggests he rarely needs to engage in direct defensive duels. However, this is likely influenced by Bayer Leverkusen’s dominant playing style and his central role in a back three, reducing his need to defend the channels and wide areas.
At the other end of the spectrum, Nico Schlotterbeck is the most active defender in this group, recording 1.7 tackles per 90, while the rest fall somewhere in between, averaging close to 1 tackle per 90 which is similar to van Dijk’s profile.
When it comes to interceptions per 90, Virgil van Dijk leads the way, with Tah, Alonso, Ribeiro, and Schlotterbeck also performing well in this area.
At this stage, I see no reason to exclude any players, as they all align with the key defensive criteria and their numbers can be contextualized by their team’s playing style.
Now, let’s shift our focus to the progressive metrics.
Progressive Metrics
In my second scatter, we can see how the players performs in Progressive Passes per 90 and Passes into the final third per 90.
First, it’s important to note that Virgil van Dijk is not the most progressive defender. My filter required that the shortlisted center-backs match or exceed his threshold for progression.
Nico Schlotterbeck leads the way in progressive play, which comes as no surprise given my previous analysis on Europe’s top ball-playing defenders. You can read that analysis here.
Barcelona’s Iñigo Martínez also excels, registering over 8 progressive passes and passes into the final third per 90, and his young teammate Pau Cubarsí impresses as well.
Ribeiro once again emerges as a standout in this category, reinforcing his profile as a progressive defender.
Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke is another exciting prospect —every time I watch him play, I’m struck by his confidence on the ball.
Aerial duels is up next.
Aerial Metrics
For the aerial metrics, players had to meet two key criteria: winning at least 2 aerial duels per 90 minutes and maintaining an aerial success rate of 60% or higher—a key strength of Virgil van Dijk.
A standout performer in this category is 25-year-old Brazilian center-back Alexsandro Ribeiro, who plays for Lille. He boasts an impressive 78.6% aerial duel success rate, making him the most dominant in the air among our shortlisted players.
Jonathan Tah follows closely behind at 75%, while Van Dijk himself wins 71.5% of his aerial duels this season, also being the only defender averaging more then 3 total duels won per 90 minutes.
And the Winner Is..?
When selecting the next ideal elite center-back, the first factor I’m considering is age. Marcos Alonso, Iñigo Martínez, and Lewis Dunk are all over 30, making them unlikely candidates for elite clubs looking for long-term solutions.
Pau Cubarsí is arguably the most exciting prospect, but given that he already plays for Barcelona, he seems unattainable for other top clubs. Interestingly, he has mentioned that he models aspects of his game after Van Dijk, particularly in terms of positioning and intelligence—traits that are already reflected in his defensive metrics. It will be fascinating to track his development in the coming years.
This leaves us with Jan Paul van Hecke, Alexsandro Ribeiro, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Jonathan Tah.
I’m eliminating Schlotterbeck because of his “high” tackle numbers. I see him more as an ideal partner to a more dominant, Van Dijk-style defender rather than a direct replacement.
I am also eliminating van Hecke because he scored the lowest for aerial win rate among our players and I think he needs one more season for a club like Brighton before he goes to a bigger club. I am a big fan of him though!
That leaves Tah and Ribeiro as the final two candidates. Age plays a role again—Tah is 29, while Ribeiro is 25 and still has room for further development. While Tah might resemble Van Dijk’s profile more closely (lowest rate for tackles for instance), Ribeiro performed consistently well across all key metrics, making him my final pick.
Now, let’s take a closer look at Ribeiro’s profile through a radar chart.
Conclusion
First and foremost, Ribeiro meets my criteria for a modern elite center-back by recording relatively low numbers in defensive actions. He registers few tackles, blocks, and challenges lost, while performing decently in interceptions—though I haven’t placed too much emphasis on that metric. While he doesn’t quite match Van Dijk’s low defensive numbers, it’s important to contextualize his performance, as he plays for a less dominant team.
Ribeiro is particularly impressive on the ball. The data shows that he actually outperforms Van Dijk in progression, ranking in the 94th percentile for progressive passes and 96th percentile for passes into the final third. While he records more miscontrols than Van Dijk, this can be attributed to the fact that he carries the ball significantly more—evident in his 94th percentile ranking for ball carries.
As seen in the scatter plot, Ribeiro is the most dominant aerial player among the shortlisted candidates, ranking in the 92nd percentile for aerial duels won—a crucial attribute for a top-tier center-back.
Ribeiro ticks a lot of boxes, and the fact that he is left-footed is a significant bonus, as such profiles are highly sought after. Given his well-rounded skill set and statistical profile, he could even be a viable option to eventually replace Van Dijk at Liverpool.
Next Week
A player that nearly made the list was Dean Huijsen from AFC Bournemouth. In my third and final chapter of this series, I will take a closer look at his profile and other similar players based on statistical models.
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I can't wait for the next one!