Virgil van Dijk is likely one of the finest defenders of his technology. The Dutchman has gained all of it in English soccer and he has usually carried out so with out even breaking a sweat. However that does not imply that he is breezed via his time at Liverpool with out squaring off towards some extremely troublesome opponents.
The Premier League took a breath of anticipation when Erling Haaland and Van Dijk discovered themselves one-on-one at Anfield not so way back in a battle that ended with the Norwegian’s wayward shot. In the meantime, Cristiano Ronaldo has by no means even scored towards the towering Liverpool captain and lots of others have ended afternoons to neglect in his ruthless grasp.
Ronaldo vs Van Dijk | Stats |
|---|---|
Video games | 5 |
Objectives | 0 |
Assists | 0 |
Countless gamers have endured their hardest video games towards Van Dijk and that features Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, who’s now on mortgage at Barcelona. The England worldwide name-dropped his former Premier League rival when requested about probably the most troublesome defender he is confronted.
While so many have struggled to go away their mark towards Van Dijk, nevertheless, the identical cannot be mentioned for Lionel Messi. When an immovable object met an unstoppable drive, Van Dijk could have come away with a shock victory courtesy of Liverpool’s dramatic Champions League comeback, however Messi nonetheless had his second on the Nou Camp – scoring twice.
The truth that certainly one of this technology’s best defenders couldn’t preserve Messi quiet sums up simply how other-wordly the Argentine icon is, greater than it sums up Van Dijk’s personal shortcomings on a troublesome night. However the Dutchman, to his credit score, was not fooled twice by Messi’s magic and despatched him crashing out of the Champions League in historic style within the second leg.
That Nou Camp thrashing courtesy of Messi will probably be one which Van Dijk remembers even to today, however it wasn’t sufficient to make the Barcelona legend his hardest opponent. As an alternative, the central defender dropped an sudden title.
Van Dijk names “annoying” Giroud as hardest opponent
Chatting with Gary Neville on The Overlap, Van Dijk named Olivier Giroud as his hardest opponent regardless of having squared off towards the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Haaland.
The Liverpool captain appeared again on the Frenchman’s knack for a objective towards the Reds earlier than labeling him an “annoying” striker to play towards.
“Funnily sufficient, [Olivier] Giroud. I at all times felt like I acquired him, however in some way, he at all times managed to attain. Whether or not it was for Arsenal, Chelsea or France, he at all times scored.
“I mentioned to him after we gained the league, we gained 5-2. We have been 3-0 up or one thing and he scored a scrappy objective, I feel it was towards the crossbar and fell down, scrappy objective, I mentioned to him: ‘You scored once more?!’
“So I might say he’s the man that scores towards me, and simply that annoying individual. There’s so many improbable strikers I’ve performed towards, Messi, [Sergio] Aguero, [Erling] Haaland is a troublesome one as a result of he has all the pieces, however I’m going for Giroud as he’s my bogeyman – annoying!”
Though Messi appears the plain selection, the truth that Giroud has scored three targets in 5 video games towards Van Dijk all through his profession makes him a worthy candidate for his hardest opponent.
