Dejan Lovren is not short of confidence.
The Liverpool centre-back recently claimed that he is one of the best defenders in the world, after he reached the Champions League final and the World Cup final with Liverpool and Croatia respectively.
It's actually quite impressive and reassuring to see a defender so full of self belief considering the amount of grief he has received from his own fans after some high-profile mistakes. Without that belief, he would surely be finished at the top level.
In an interview with Copa90 duo 'Poet & Vuj', Lovren stood by his claim:
"I said 'one of' the best defenders in the world and I think I didn't say anything wrong," he told Copa90 in a revealing interview.
He was asked to name the other defenders whom he considered to be in the same bracket as him, and after some consideration, came up with a list.
- Virgil van Dijk
- Raphael Varane
- Thiago Silva
"Virgil (van Dijk), I would say," he said. Wise move, to include the player keeping you out of the Liverpool side right now.
"We had a great season, last season, me and him. We reached the final of the Champions League.
"I would say (Raphaël) Varane. I like Varane, he deserves a lot of credit but I think he doesn't get it as much as (Sergio) Ramos gets it and I don't agree with that," he added.
"Is Varane better than Ramos? Definitely. I think in this moment and in previous years.
"Then I would always consider Thiago Silva. He's really good, experienced, he's not so tall but he jumps quite high."
Curiously, no love for Joe Gomez. Presumably, Lovren believes he should be playing ahead of him for Liverpool. Unfortunately for him, Jurgen Klopp disagrees.
