The best player in history for Virgil Van Dijk: “He was the most difficult rival I had”

For many, he is the best defender in the history of the Premier League and for others, a star under the slogan , but his legs have had to stop several of the best strikers in history. Virgil Van Dijk, awaiting what happens with his future at Liverpool and in a campaign where he dreams of every possible title, has always been blunt about who is the most complete player in the history of this sport. He claims that there is nothing like it.

His statements have been made over the years, but they had their climax in 2019 and 2021. The first in the run-up to which, for some, he deserved to take a Ballon d'Or away from Lionel Messi and the second at the gates of that World Cup where both Argentina and the Netherlands would star in a pitched battle in Qatar 2022. Virgil Van Dijk, rival of strikers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suárez, Karim Benzema or Mohamed Salah himself, places La Pulga above all. His statements are perfect examples of what it is like to have a number 10 in front of you.

“The toughest opponent I face? Lionel Messi is definitely a tough opponent. That directness… If you give him an inch, he punishes you… I think Messi is the best player in the world. I think he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or as long as he keeps playing… He has that extra element that he has shown in recent years,” began Virgil Van Dijk about his specific duels with the Argentine. The semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2019, as well as the quarter-finals of Qatar 2022, high points of a rivalry with important victories for both sides.

Asked by CR7 about this eternal comparison with Lionel Messi, Virgil Van Dijk spoke of a difference in the game that makes it more difficult to reference La Pulga. He speaks of a luck factor with the Argentine where if he is plugged in, there is little or nothing that can be done: “I think Messi is still the best player in the world. He and Cristiano have had surreal numbers over the last decade and it is incredible what they have achieved. But I choose Messi … With Messi on the pitch, we had a very difficult night in Barcelona in 2019… When you face Messi and he comes out in his best version you can't do anything. I am glad I am not in Spain so I don't have to face him every season. He scored two goals, I am very disappointed.”

Virgil Van Dijk's praise for Messi is not gratuitous. The clash in Qatar, won by Argentina on penalties, is added to 180 minutes against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals, where Leo was lethal in the first leg. His free-kick goal seemed to seal a series that would end with a 4-0 win at Anfield in favour of Jürgen Klopp's team. The 33-year-old Dutch defender speaks of the Argentine as an unstoppable opponent in his day.

Will Virgil Van Dijk continue at Liverpool?

After several months of speculation, everything now points to the Dutch defender renewing his contract at Anfield. One that ends right now on June 30, 2025 and that would be extended until 2027 at the earliest. At a time when figures such as Mohamed Salah or Trent Alexander Arnold are not expected to continue at Anfield, fingers are crossed to retain one of Klopp's great legacies on Merseyside.

Virgil Van Dijk's numbers

298 battles on the Liverpool pitch are the result of Virgil Van Dijk, who has played more than 559 games in his career. The 54 goals during his time at Groningen, Celtic, Southampton and the Reds, along with 11 titles at club level and of course 78 games for the Dutch top flight. The climax was the victory against Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final by 2-0 in Madrid.