The Netherlands and Argentina will face off for a place in the World Cup semi-finals on Friday and there will be an interesting battle within the clash between Virgil van Dijk and Lionel Messi.
The two are regarded as their country’s best players and have met each other on several occasions, with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner coming out on top for the most part.
However, this will be the biggest stage the pair meet on and with Messi enjoying a good tournament so far in Qatar, reporters wanted to ask one of the world’s best defenders how he is preparing to stop the Argentine genius.
Liverpool’s Van Dijk talks about Lionel Messi
Speaking about how he is preparing to face Messi at a press conference today, Van Dijk said via Sky Sports: “One of the best players of all time maybe, obviously, he has done it for so many years.
“I would say him [Messi] and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the two stand-out players of the last two decades. There is only respect towards what they have achieved.
“For us now, it’s not just a case of just preparing for him [Messi], we’re preparing to beat Argentina and obviously, we know how big a part he is to their success over the years.”
?? “One of the best players of all time maybe, I would say him [Lionel Messi] and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the two outstanding players of the last two decades.”
Virgil Van Dijk on being asked how he prepares for the task of facing Lionel Messi. #NED #ARG #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/JcdbrtTW5Z
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 7, 2022