Lionel Messi gave his glowing commendation to Liverpool's center-back Virgil van Dijk. The two players are set to battle it out for 2019's Ballon d'Or. Messi also revealed why the Dutch center-back is a formidable opponent in the field.
The Reds were given a tough task after they lost in the first leg of the semi-final. However, a 4-0 victory at Anfield secured Liverpool's seat in the finals. Lionel Messi scored twice at Camp Nuo, however, he failed to make an impact in the second leg with Liverpool's defense and Virgil van Dijk standing firm against the attack executed by the Blaugrana.
Lionel Messi admits that Virgil van Dijk has a lot of positive attributes, which place him as one of the best defenders in the world. Any defender facing Barcelona's attack team would agree that it is always a nightmare. Messi blazes with the ball on his feet, forcing teams to double up on the lightning-fast Barca attacker.
The Argentinian showed an amazing display of skills and expertise last season at Camp Nou when Barcelona hosted Liverpool and scored a couple of goals. Many thought that Barca already secured a seat in the Champions League's semi-finals. However, the Reds made a great comeback in the return leg as Liverpool's side ran riot against Barca at home with a solid defense.
Lionel Messi: “(Virgil) van Dijk is always waiting for the right moment to interfere with the strikers. He knows how to set the timing of that moment. Physically, he's very big & fast, very agile for his height. He's impressive both on defence and attack because he scores goals." — Bolarinwa Olajide (@iambolar) October 17, 2019
According to Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk possesses great qualities that make him a tough opponent to break down. Messi shared that the Dutch footballer is a defender who knows how to predict the timing and wait for the right time to hold on or get in. In his interview with Marca, Messi also noted Virgil van Dijk's speed and size, as well as the level of his agility despite his height.
Messi on van Dijk: “He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey. “He is fast because of his great stride, and he is impressive both in defence and attack because he scores lots of goals."@imessi @VirgilvDijk pic.twitter.com/KQHiwpthUb — #Rp45 G. Komango (@gabrielTkomango) October 17, 2019
Barcelona's Messi also admitted that Virgil van Dijk is fast because of his massive strides and has shown impressive performance both on offense and defense. Over the past 11 years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shared five Balon d'Or, but their streak was broken by Luka Modric in 2018. Virgil van Dijk is also one of the contenders in this year's Balon d'Or.
Forget the GOAT things, based on Stats, who is #TheBest for you? - Cristiano Ronaldo
(Juventus/Portugal) - Lionel Messi
(Barcelona/Argentina) - Virgil Van Dijk
(Liverpool/Netherlands) #FIFAFootballAwards#CristianoRonaldo#LeoMessi#VirgilVanDijk pic.twitter.com/MztW4yIYLW — Gbemi Dennis™ (@GbemiDennis) September 23, 2019
