Is Virgil Van Dijk a Defensive Black Hole?
Abstract
Virgil van Dijk is widely known as the best Premier League defender of his generation and is argued to be one of the greatest football defenders of all time. His unique defensive prowess often makes it seem like nothing can get past him, anticipating where he needs to position himself like no other with the ball often seeming like it is drawn to his feet. This journal explores if his defensive dominance is down to his presence or as fans describe it, "defending with aura", analysing this through the lens of physics, in particular black holes and the gravitational fields they generate. Although the concept of Van Dijk being a literal black hole is physically impossible, his ability to pull attackers and the ball into his control is very real.
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