Paris Saint-Germain superstar, Neymar, has been speaking about the hardest defenders he has played against and naturally that conversation included Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutchman has become one of the best defenders in the world since joining the Reds in 2018 with many already putting him in the category of the best defenders to ever play in the Premier League.
The centre-back is often brought up by forwards when they are talking about the hardest defenders they have played against and that was the case again when it came to Neymar.
The pair went head-to-head most recently at club level during the Champions League group phase in 2018 with Liverpool winning their home tie 3-2, whilst losing 2-1 in Paris – a match in which Neymar scored the winner.
“Playing against Van Dijk is tough because as a centre-back, he’s so strong and intelligent,” Neymar told DAZN Canada.
“He knows when it’s the right time to close you down and when to go in for a tackle. That makes it harder. He’s intelligent. It’s harder to play against intelligent centre-backs. They don’t make mistakes.”
Despite this praise, the Brazilian star stopped short of naming Van Dijk as the toughest defender he’s ever faced, instead opting for Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker. The forward described the England international as ‘fast, strong and intelligent.’
The full Neymar interview can be seen below.
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