Kevin De Bruyne overlooked his Manchester City team-mate Ruben Dias in favour of Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk when asked to select his ideal five-a-side team.
The Belgian made the choice in an appearance on ex- Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel.
Van Dijk has been imperious for Liverpool ever since joining the Reds in January 2018, and played a key role in the club's Premier League and Champions League successes.
He was a huge miss for most of last year, after suffering a severe ACL injury in the Merseyside Derby which saw him miss the rest of a campaign to forget for the Reds.
And since returning his presence in the Liverpool rearguard is still clear to see and a huge boost for others who line up alongside him.
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His impact has been noticed by De Bruyne, who hailed the Dutchman as he selected him in his ideal five-man team.
"I think he's up there. He was unbelievable before his injury, obviously he had his ACL," the City ace said when asked by Ferdinand where he would place the Liverpool man compared to the world's best centre-backs.
"He came back to a real high level. It's very difficult always to say 'he's better than this one...' but he's probably top three in the world alongside Ruben [Dias] and some other players. I think he deserves it."
Ferdinand himself has previously made similar comments about Van Dijk, whose consistency he lauded just a few months ago.
"When he's fit, over the last couple of years, I think [van Dijk's] been the go-to guy," the former Manchester United defender said on another episode of his YouTube show.
"He had the biggest impact on a team, I think, in terms of centre-backs over the last probably three years.
"I think it's just consistency and the ability to win. [Raphael] Varane is unrivalled alongside [Sergio] Ramos in terms of winning, but Van Dijk the way his form has been over the last three years, he has been immense.
"[Ruben] Dias has been great but he [only] played last season. I'm talking about consistency over a number of years and I think those guys are probably apart at the moment."
