Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland was asked to name the toughest defender he has played against and chose Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, who he has faced three times but failed to beat once.
Erling Haaland has named Liverpool ‘s Virgil van Dijk as the toughest defender he has ever played against.
The 21-year-old striker has faced off against some of the world’s best in his short but illustrious career, including Van Dijk for both club and country.
Haaland has met the Dutchman three times and failed to win any of the games; losing twice whilst he starred for Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League and most recently, a World Cup qualifying draw with Norway in which he bagged a goal.
“You know how tall he is, how strong he is and how fast he is, and also the timing is crazy,” the Borussia Dortmund sensation said of Van Dijk to ESPN.
“I don’t think I won one duel against him because he’s a physical monster.”
Haaland was doubling down on an opinion about the Liverpool centre-back which he voiced prior to their third meeting in September.
“I do not really fear anyone, I think he is the best defender,” he added. “I think quite a few others in the room [at the press conference] agree with me on that.
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“He is fast, strong and ‘bad’ smart, and there are three important things you must have. I have played against him twice, I have said that he is the best I have met.”
Van Dijk returned the compliment by telling Sky Sports the following month: “Haaland is a special striker. He’s so strong, he’s quick, he’s got all the attributes to make a defender’s life very difficult.
“The first time [I played him] was when he came on at Anfield. He was at Salzburg and he got a tap-in and he scored.
“Obviously in the away game he didn’t. He got subbed after 65 minutes or something but it was a very tough one, he was very quick, aggressive, very direct.”
The 30-year-old added: “[It’s a] bit like how Jamie Vardy plays. The only thing I think Haaland has is maybe he’s a little bit stronger than Vardy but it could be very difficult to defend against.”
However, the Netherlands international chose another player when asked to name the finest footballer he has faced.
“I would say Lionel Messi,” Van Dijk stated. “He’s still the best footballer in the world. Him and Cristiano Ronaldo… they’ve been doing unreal numbers for the last decade and it’s incredible what they’ve achieved.
“I would say Messi just because of that very tough evening in Barcelona when we lost [3-0 in the Champions League semi-final first leg].
“Luckily we turned it around at Anfield.”
Source: mirror
