That is the view of former Reds star Luis Garcia, who says the Dutchman is a class act who makes the art of defending look easy.
Liverpool are in with a chance of winning their first league title in 29 years this season.
As things stand, Jurgen Klopp’s men sit a single point clear of current champions Manchester City with seven games to go.
While City still have a game in hand, the Reds are feeling confident going into the final few weeks of the campaign.
And should they win the Premier League title, Van Dijk will have been an instrumental part of the success.
Van Dijk has been a rock at the heart of the Reds’ defence, playing a pivotal role in helping their 17 Premier League clean sheets this term.
The Dutchman has also been in a rich vein of form at the other end of the pitch, scoring four times in his last six matches, including a goal for the Netherlands in their 4-0 win against Belarus on Thursday night.
And Garcia, who played for the Merseyside club for three years from 2004-07, has praised Van Dijk’s influence.
Garcia's comments came after:
"Van Dijk makes it look easy," Garcia told Sky Sports.
"I think he is one of those top players that you need in your team, not only because of the way that he plays, but also because of the personality and the character he brings on the pitch.
"On the pitch he is always in the right place all the time. He's got the tempo of the game [under control].
"Sometimes he leads from the back if he wants to go fast or go slow [and] it's very difficult to find players like this.
"That's why he has been so important for Liverpool this year, and of course he will be challenging this year for the title."
Liverpool welcome Tottenham to Anfield in their next Premier League game and that fixture could go a long way to deciding the title.
City could have already returned to the top of the table after they travel to Fulham a day earlier.
The champions still have arguably the toughest game remaining out of both teams with a trip to Manchester United to come in April.
