SUMMARY
- Virgil van Dijk picked his ultimate five-a-side team of all time in an interview with FIFPRO before the FIFA The Best Awards for 2023.
- Virgil Van Dijk. has picked a team that cannot be defeated and is full of skill and scoring ability.
Virgil van Dijk sat down with FIFPRO ahead of the FIFA The Best Awards for 2023. The Liverpool defender was asked to build his ultimate five-a-side team of all time, which could go head-to-head with any other side in the world.
The Dutch center-back named an unbeatable side full of goals and finesse. He named his teammate Allison in goal and stated that he was the best goalkeeper he had ever played with. Moving on to defense, he named himself to cover all the defensive duties. The Dutch defender explained that he put himself in the team because he would love to play in this team.
Virgil van Dijk rolled back the years and named Barcelona and Brazilian legend Ronaldinho on this team’s left side. He added that the Brazilian was his idol growing up, and he always looked up to him in his childhood. The Dutch defender revealed that he used to copy Ronaldinho’s moves in the street back when he was young, and it would be amazing to share the pitch with his idol.
Moving to the right, Virgil named Lionel Messi as part of the team. He added that Messi is arguably the best player of all time, and stopped further by stating that he doesn’t need to say too much about his inclusion. The Liverpool defender was in awe of the prospect of seeing Ronaldinho on the left and Messi on the right in his team.
Wrapping up, the Liverpool defender named Brazilian Ronaldo, R9, at the top to complete his side. Talking about the legendary striker, Virgil commented that Ronaldo had it all in his opinion, the presence, the goals, and the finishes. Ronaldo’s time in Holland with PSV was an additional factor why Virgil chose R9 for his side.
Virgil van Dijk defended Lionel Messi against Louis Van Gaal
Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk relationship has been strong in the past few years, with admiration going both ways. The duo shared the podium in 2019 Ballon d’Or awards, where Messi won his record-breaking sixth Ballon d’Or ahead of Virgil.
The Liverpool defender also took the side of the Argentine against his former national manager, Louis van Gaal. The Dutch manager previously commented that Argentine’s win at the 2022 FIFA World Cup was ‘premeditated game.’ The comments created a lot of controversy at the time, however, Virgil came out to calm the ship at his end.
😳🏆 Van Gaal on Holland-Argentina:
“I don’t really want to say much about it.”
“If you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals and how some of Argentina’s players crossed the line and weren’t punished, then I think it’s all preconceived game.”
“I mean… pic.twitter.com/rlQQOf3bFG
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 4, 2023
The Dutch defender stated: “Heard [Van Gaal’s opinion] this morning, indeed. And that’s actually it. It is of course his opinion. Everyone is allowed to have an opinion. I do not share the same opinion.” Argentine clash with the Netherlands was one of the most heated affairs at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which brought some memorable moments.
Even after the intense match and heated comments after the clash, Virgil van Dijk’s opinion of Messi hasn’t changed, as he still found a place for the little magician in his five-a-side team.