EPL: Van Dijk snubs Ronaldo, names four toughest players he has faced

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EPL: Van Dijk snubs Ronaldo, names four toughest players he has faced

Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, has left Cristiano Ronaldo out of his list of toughest opponents he has faced.

Van Dijk, who joined the Reds for £75 million in 2018, has helped guide the Reds to Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup glory.

During his time at Anfield, the Dutchman has played against Ronaldo on a number of occasions including the 2018 Champions League final.

But the Al Nassr forward failed to make Van Dijk’s list.

Instead, the defender has opted for Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Sergio Aguero and Olivier Giroud.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, he said: “I would say Erling Haaland is a very difficult opponent, [he is] very strong, a modern-day striker.

“It’s the same with Aguero. He didn’t score many goals against us, but since I played against him when I was at Southampton he was always a handful, he could finish with his left or right, you always had to be at your best.”

On Giroud, he added: “[He was] a link-up player, together at the time with [Eden] Hazard, it was always Hazard giving him the flick and he would hold up the ball.

“He also scored good goals against me. I always felt like he wasn’t going to score, but he managed to score.”