Virgil van Dik is one of the greatest advocates of his generation. The Dutch have won everything in British football and often did so without even sweating. But that doesn’t mean he’s been refreshing throughout his time at Liverpool without having to square it against an incredibly difficult opponent.
The Premier League instilled anticipation when Ehringhaaland and Vandick found themselves 1-1 at Anfield in a fight that ended with Norwegian ward shots. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo never even scored against the towering Liverpool captain.
Ronaldo vs Van Dyke | statistics |
|---|---|
game | 5 |
the goal | 0 |
assist | 0 |
Endless Players have endured the toughest game against Van Dijk. This includes Marcus Rashford of Manchester United, currently on loan in Barcelona. England’s international name dropped his former Premier League rival when asked about the most difficult defender he faced.
But so many people struggle to leave a mark against Van Dick, but the same cannot be said about Lionel Messi. When the Unmovable Object met the unstoppable force, Van Dick may have brought him a shocking victory thanks to Liverpool’s dramatic Champions League comeback, but Messi still spent his moment at Know Camp – scoring twice.
The fact that one of the greatest defenders of this generation has not been able to keep Messi quiet summed up more than summarizing Van Dick’s own shortcomings on a difficult night. However, for his trust, the Dutch were not fooled twice by Messi’s magic, and crashed him out of the Champions League in Game 2 in a historic way.
Courtesy of Messi, Nu Camp is a camp that Van Dick remembers to this day, but it wasn’t enough to make Barcelona legend his toughest opponent. Instead, the central defender dropped an unexpected name.
van Dijk has named “annoying” Giroud as the toughest opponent
Talking Gary Neville in the overlap, Van Dick named Olivier Gilud his toughest opponent despite playing against Messi, Ronaldo and Haaland.
The Liverpool captain looked back at the Frenchman’s tricks and labeled him a “noisy” striker who will face him, seeking a goal against the Reds.
“The funny thing is (Olivier) Giroud. I always felt like I got him, but somehow he was able to score all the time. He always scored, whether it was for Arsenal, Chelsea or France.
“When we won the league, I told him, we won 5-2. We were 3-0 and he scored a poor goal. I think it fell against the crossbar.
“So he’s going to say he’s the guy who scored at me and that annoying person.
Messi seems like an obvious choice, but the fact that Giroud has scored three goals in five games with Van Dick throughout his career makes him a worthy candidate for his toughest opponent.