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Former French player Djibril Cisse has named Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk while building his ultimate footballer. In an interview with ESPN, the former Liverpool forward revealed his choices based on speed, skills, strength, mentality, finishing, football IQ, passing, and work rate.
Cisse named Kylian Mbappé when asked about his choice for speed. The new Real Madrid forward is considered one of the best of his generation and is praised for his dribbling, speed, and finishing. For skills, the 42-year-old picked Brazilian star Neymar, who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
As far as strength si concerned, Cisse chose Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, who also captains Premier League club Liverpool. When asked about mentality, the Frenchman named former English midfielder Steven Gerrard, who serves as the manager for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.
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For finishing, Djibril Cisse went with German coach Miroslav Klose, who played as a striker for Bundesliga side Bayern Munich from 2007 to 2011. Cisse named former Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso for football IQ. The former Real Madrid icon is the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen.
Djibril Cisse chose his former national teammate Zinedine Zidane for passing. The former French attacking midfielder was widely regarded as a playmaker known for his vision, passing, ball control, and technique.
Lastly, for work rate, Cisse picked Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al Nassr and continues to make and break records at the age of 39.
Virgil van Dijk leaves Cristiano Ronaldo out of the list of his toughest opponents
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk did not include Cristiano Ronaldo in his list of the toughest opponents he has encountered in his career. The Dutch defender named Erling Haaland and Sergio Aguero, among others in the list.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, Virgil van Dijk said:
"I would say Erling Haaland is a very difficult opponent, [he is] very strong, a modern day striker. It's the directness. If you give them an inch then they will punish you."
"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," added van Dijk.
Virgil van Dijk faced Cristiano Ronaldo on multiple occasions in the UEFA Champions League as well as the English Premier League during the Portuguese forward's second stint at Manchester United in 2021.
