Ahead of the Netherlands' crunch 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk has made a surprise admission about playing against Lionel Messi.
Morocco Boss Makes FIFA World Cup History!
This Friday night, one of the World Cup's biggest rivalries will be reignited when two-time finalists the Netherlands take on two-time world champions Argentina to see who will progress to the semi-finals.
Messi, who scored his first-ever competition knockout stage goal last weekend, will be eager for a repeat of their meeting in the 2014 edition, when La Albiceleste eliminated the Flying Dutchmen from the spectacle in Brazil.
The diminutive playmaker has scored three goals in Qatar so far, but despite the goalscoring prowess the 35-year-old has showcased in the Gulf, Netherlands captain Van Dijk is relishing the honour of once again playing against the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, but also warned that it is imperative they keep tabs on him even when he isn't posing a direct threat.
"The difficult thing about him is when we are attacking, he is chilling somewhere in a corner or something," the Liverpool defender said, as per the Daily Mail.
"You have to be so very sharp in terms of defensive organisation. They always looked for him to try to make it difficult for us on the counter.
"It is an honour to play against him.
"It is not me against him, or the Netherlands against him, but the Netherlands against Argentina.
"No one can do it on his own, we will have to come up with a good plan."
Atletico CEO: Club-Record Signing Felix Is For Sale
The Dutch defender has come up against Messi before, most famously when Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2019.
While many of the Oranje who were thwarted by Messi and his compatriots in 2014 are not present for this iteration of the World Cup, Dutch head coach Louis van Gaal says revenge is on the cards.
"We still have a score to settle," the former Barcelona coach said.
"I don't like to think about it because I thought we would win, and then I also exchanged for the win."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH VIDEO:
