‘He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height’: Lionel Messi pinpoints why it is so hard to beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk… even for him!
- Lionel Messi has explained what makes Virgil van Dijk so difficult to get past
- The pair faced each other in the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League
- Messi scored two in the first leg but he was kept quiet in the second-leg defeat
Barcelona star Lionel Messi has pinpointed why it is so hard to beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
The pair came up against each other in the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League, which the Reds went on to win.
The Argentina international got the better of Van Dijk’s Liverpool in the first leg of the tie as he scored two goals in a 3-0 victory.
Lionel Messi (L) has pinpointed why it is so hard to beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk (R)
However Messi was kept quiet by Van Dijk and his team-mates in the second leg as Jurgen Klopp’s side produced a remarkable comeback to win the clash 4-3 on aggregate an Anfield.
And now the Barcelona forward has explained what makes Van Dijk so difficult to get past.
‘He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey,’ he told Marca.
The Barcelona star did beat the Holland defender to FIFA’s Best award of 2019 last month
‘He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height.
‘He is fast because of its great stride, and he is impressive both in defence and attack because he scores lots of goals.’
Messi did beat the Holland defender to FIFA’s Best award of 2019 last month.
The pair came up against each other in the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League
