Speaking on The Big Interview with Graham Hunter, Olivier Giroud has named Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as one of the best defenders he’s ever played against.
The Frenchman had the unfortunate task of playing against van Dijk during his time in the Premier League, and as you can imagine, despite being 6 ft 4, Giroud often struggled against the Dutchman.
Giroud described the centre-half as very tough, claiming that he’s one of the best defenders he’s come up against in his storied career.
What’s been said?
Giroud was asked about the best defenders he’d ever played against, and he namechecked van Dijk.
“I have to say that I had very tough duels with Virgil van Dijk when we played Chelsea against Liverpool and yeah, he’s one of the best I think, but I can say that I scored a few goals against Liverpool when he did play, so I have nice pictures also that my friends send me of duels with him,” Giroud said.
Generational
The fact that Giroud has named van Dijk as one of the best he’s played against tells you all you need to know about his ability.
Giroud is a World Cup winner and he played in the Premier League during an era where some of the best centre-backs on the planet were in England.
Indeed, the Frenchman has come up against the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Vincent Kompany and even now in Italy he’s tasked with facing the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, but van Dijk is the one who has stood out to Giroud.
Unfortunately for the Frenchman, he may have to face off against him again in the Champions League as Milan are set to face the Reds again in the group stages.
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