"They have been the two faces of football" - Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk heaps praise on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi 

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Lionel Messi.

Over the past decade and a half, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the game.

Despite both of them being in the latter halves of their respective careers, they remain the biggest brands in world football and among the biggest across all sports.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has hailed the two iconic footballers for their incredible achievements over the years.

The Dutchman has branded the two superstars as the two faces of football over the last decade. Van Dijk told ESPN Argentina:

“They have been crazy if you think about it. The amount of goals they’ve scored, you saw the other day that Ronaldo had the 700th career goal, that’s outstanding, outrageous.

“Messi, incredible. They have been the two faces of football a little bit of the last decade."

The Dutch skipper has admitted that he is privileged to have played against both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Liverpool defender also remembers his memory of sitting alongside the two in the UEFA ceremony award with plenty of fondness. He added:

"Just respect for them and for me to play against these guys and to experience them in real life is definitely a pleasure. It was also a nice thing to sit next to them in the UEFA ceremony award, it was a great experience.”

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are at the dusk of their careers

Football has hardly witnessed a rivalry that of the magnitude between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The two have won as many as 12 Ballons d'Or between them, which speaks for their ridiculous level of consistency over the years.

Both players have set countless records over the years and it will be incredibly difficult for any player in the future to match those.

Both players are clearly in the latter stages of their careers right now but still remain forces to reckon with.

Lionel Messi has been impressive for PSG this season following his underwhelming debut campaign with the French side last campaign.

The Argentine has 12 goals and 13 assists in 17 games across all competitions so far this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made headlines for the wrong reasons this term, having struggled for first-team football under Erik ten Hag.

The Portuguese international has scored just three goals this season while producing one assist in 14 games.