Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton in the winter of 2018 and immediately made his presence felt in the team.
He led a backline that often floundered, did not allow easy breakthroughs in one-on-one matches, and transformed a defense that had been considered a weak point.
In 2020, he suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament and was sidelined for an extended period of time, but after returning to the team, he was unable to return to top form.
The 32-year-old center back has faced many strikers in his career and continues to be a threat with his accurate long-range passes and high strike rate from corner kicks.
He said that former French international Olivier Giroud was his toughest opponent, ahead of Lionel Messi and others.
“I think that Olivier Giroud [is the toughest attacker I have played against],” said Van Dijk.”
“Every time, you think you’ve got a hold of him, that you’ve got him well marked, but he always manages to score in one way or another: with his head, his foot, his knee. He has often scored against me.”
L’Equipe
The tall forward, who spent six years at Arsenal before joining Chelsea and has been scoring goals for AC Milan since 2021, has been an excellent partner for Kylian Mbappe in the French national team, helping them win the World Cup in 2018.
At 37 years old, the veteran striker still leads the attack with 11 goals and 7 assists in 24 games this season, but will they ever be on the same pitch again?