Comparing players across eras is notoriously difficult, but when Van Dijk has surpassed many modern defenders, fans are always open to comparing the Dutchman to Premier League icons such as Ferdinand.
It has been a long-running debate as to whether Van Dijk is better than Ferdinand, as his meteoric rise with Liverpool has baffled rival fans as to how their clubs missed out on signing him.
Now, in an interview with 10bet Casino, Brown has revealed his opinion on the debate as he backs his former teammate.
"I’d 100 percent of the time pick Rio over Virgil van Dijk. Of course, I could be being biased, but if you’ve seen Rio you know he’s just different class.
"Individually, he can do everything, and he has such poise that he’s rarely scrambling around for a slide tackle," Brown argued. "He reads the game immaculately, has pace, is always in the right position to make his job easier. He won so many trophies to show just how important he was to the side."
Once finishing just a handful of votes behind Lionel Messi in the race for the Ballon d'Or, Van Dijk is rightly regarded as one of the best defenders in the modern age. However, to compare him to past players is very difficult as it was a different era.
Despite this, Brown seems convinced and Ferdinand will be happy to see himself backed against the Dutch giant, who is aiming to add another Premier League medal to his cabinet this season.