Lionel Messi waxes lyrical about Virgil van Dijk

Lionel Messi has hailed Virgil van Dijk as the ‘ultimate defender’ as the announcement of the Ballon d’Or nominees draws closer.

Messi told Marca of van Dijk: “He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey [the attacker].

“He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height.

“He is fast because of his great stride, and he is impressive both in defence and attack because he scores lots of goals.”

Virgil van Dijk is Messi’s closest competitor in the battle to be crowned the best player on the planet and while the Argentinian was once again otherworldly over the last 12 months, his Dutch counterpart set the bar for central defenders higher than it has ever been.

Liverpool’s £75million man guided his teammates to the Champions League trophy and within spitting distance of the club’s first-ever Premier League trophy.

If Messi is named as the Ballon d’Or winner he would be a deserving victor but van Dijk deserves to win the accolade for the unbelievable standard he set last season.

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Source: anfieldhq.com