No defender is worth £75 million (S$128.7 million), I had proudly proclaimed to friends and football fans back when Liverpool bought Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.
Twenty months on, I admit I was wrong. Grudgingly, I made him my top pick for Fifa's best men's player of the year when voting opened in July - I was one of the 165 selected international media representatives invited to vote.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
