Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk snubs Cristiano Ronaldo in his list of toughest opponents… as it includes the Barcelona legend and two Man City heroes.
- Virgil van Dijk snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo by naming his toughest opponents
- The Liverpool defender is however included for a former and current Man City striker
- Jurgen Klopp has the eye of the tiger! He hasn’t looked this confident since 2019 – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off Podcast
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has ignored Cristiano Ronaldo in his list of the toughest opponents he has faced.
Van Dijk has established himself as one of the world’s best defenders since joining the Reds for £75million in 2018.
He helped guide the Merseyside club to glory in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, against some of the most prolific players of that era.
The Dutchman has faced Ronaldo on several occasions, including in the 2018 Champions League final, but the Real Madrid legend failed to make Van Dijk’s list.
Van Dijk instead opted for Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Sergio Aguero and Olivier Giroud.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk named the four toughest players he faced
The Dutchman failed to include Cristiano Ronaldo in his list despite facing him on several occasions
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, he explained his decision to choose Haaland and Aguero.
“I would say Erling Haaland is a very difficult opponent, (he is) very strong, a modern-day striker,” Van Dijk said.
“It’s honesty. If you give them an inch, they will punish you.
“It’s the same with Agüero. He didn’t score many goals against us, but as I played against him when I was at Southampton he was always difficult, he could finish with his left or his right, you always had to be at your best.
“I remember a goal he scored against us in 2018-19, he got past Dejan Lovren on a cross and finished it so quickly.”
Van DIjk included current Man City striker Erling Haaland in his list as he sang his praises
The inclusion of Olivier Giroud may surprise some, but Van Dijk says the Frenchman is a tough opponent.
Giroud hasn’t been prolific during his time in the Premier League, but Van Dijk has explained what makes the Frenchman a tough opponent.
He said: “(He was) a link player, with (Eden) Hazard at the time, it was always Hazard who kicked him off. he would hold the ball.
“He also scored some good goals against me. I always felt like he wasn’t going to score, but he managed to score.
