“It’s the directness” - Liverpool superstar ignores Cristiano Ronaldo and includes Lionel Messi as he names his toughest opponents

Liverpool superstar defender Virgil Van Dijk left Cristiano Ronaldo off his list of the toughest opponents he has faced in his career, but included fellow megastar Lionel Messi.

Van Dijk didn't pick the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, but instead went with Erling Haaland, Olivier Giroud, Sergio Aguero, and the Argentine megastar.

"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," the Dutch defender said during an appearance on The Rest Is Football podcast, via The Daily Mail.

Van Dijk faced Ronaldo several times in the UEFA Champions League as well as the English Premier League when the Portuguese megastar returned to Manchester United in 2021.

---

Barcelona star gives interesting take on Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT debate

The GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continues, with players and pundits sharing their opinions on the matter. Usually they pick one of the two, but Barcelona star Joao Felix gave an interesting take on the debate.

Felix said that fans should enjoy what the two megastars have accomplished in their careers and not compare them.

"Messi and Cristiano should not be compared, they should be enjoyed. Choosing one is very complicated, they have both done very good things that will not be repeated," Joao Felix recently said, via Barca Universal (H/T Sportskeeda).

Both megastars dominated European football for almost two decades before deciding to pursue a career in the United States (Lionel Messi, Inter Miami) and Saudi Arabia (Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr), respectively. It remains unclear if they will pursue a return to Europe before retirement, as Messi is 37 and Ronaldo is 39.

The Argentine megastar has won 10 La Liga titles, the Ligue 1 title twice, the FIFA World Cup once (2022) and the Ballon d'Or eight times. For his part, the Portuguese superstar has claimed league titles in Spain (Real Madrid), England (Manchester United) and Italy (Juventus), while he led Portugal to the European Championship in 2016. He is also a five-time Ballon d'or winner.