Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk is fifth in our countdown of the standout Premier League players of 2018.
That makes him the highest ranked defender in the list - fitting given that this was the year that Van Dijk cemented his reputation as the Premier League's outstanding centre-back.
His move to Liverpool was not cheap at £75m but he has more than justified his fee by helping to completely transform Jurgen Klopp's defence.
What do the stats say?
Liverpool had conceded 28 goals in the 23 Premier League games they had played prior to Van Dijk's arrival last season but there has since been a dramatic turnaround.
The Reds have let in only 17 goals in their last 32 games and no defender has been involved in more clean sheets than Van Dijk in the calendar year.
He has been ever present in the Premier League this season - one in which Liverpool conceded only six goals in their first 16 games, a record never bettered in the competition.
Van Dijk has been the towering presence that Liverpool needed and that is reflected in the statistic that Brighton's Shane Duffy is the only defender to have won more aerial duels in 2018.
What were his highlights?
After getting his dream move, Van Dijk also enjoyed the dream start to his Liverpool career by scoring the late winner over Everton on his debut in an FA Cup third-round tie at Anfield.
He was instrumental in the team's charge to the Champions League final but could not quite help them find a way to beat Real Madrid in Kiev.
There was no World Cup for the Dutch defender in the summer but the year was not without its international highlights for Van Dijk too.
He scored home and away against Germany with his stoppage-time equaliser in Gelsenkirchen earning the point that Netherlands needed to reach the Nations League finals in 2019.
What's the pundit verdict?
"He's majestic," says Graeme Souness. "You know it's a really good sign in a defender when you never see him overextended. You never see him running at 100 per cent. He always seems to have another gear. When he leaps he always seems as if he has a bit to go again.
"He is a big, powerful man, I don't think you can out-muscle him and he's got silky skills. He has the skills of a really technical midfield player. I don't think you could get the ball off him in a telephone box. He has got the full package.
"When you see his personality, he seems a very solid citizen. He and he alone has made such a difference to Liverpool from being slight challengers to a team that can really challenge. They are in the game and he gives them a great chance. I think he is the best one out there that I can think of. He is the only one with those attributes."
Matt Le Tissier got the chance to see Van Dijk up close at St Mary's and he remains a fan. "When I used to watch him at Southampton I always thought he was right up there with the best centre-backs I have witnessed," Le Tissier tells Sky Sports.
"He was one of the few players who made it look so easy, and was a man playing boys' football at times. He is the best centre-back in the Premier League, and I cannot think of too many in the world better than him."