Virgil Van Dijk: “Erling Haaland is one of the best players in the world”

Liverpool and Netherlands defensive stalwart Virgil Van Dijk has singled out Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland as one of the best players in the world. 

Its been clear for some time now, but Erling Haaland is a special player. This has been underlined by Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk in an interview on Sky Sports’ Saturday Social. The Netherlands and Liverpool defender is himself one of the best in his position, and was quick to give high praise to Dortmund’s number nine, highlighting Haaland’s pace and strength as some of his most prominent attributes:

“Haaland is a special striker…He’s so strong, he’s quick, he’s got all the attributes to make a defender’s life very difficult.” – Virgil Van Dijk, Sky Sports’ Saturday Social

In addition to his strength and pace, what makes Haaland such a special player is the sheer and utter ruthlessness and determination he plays with. There is a constant hunger in the young forward that makes him a menacing presence on the pitch.

In Van Dijk’s opinion, Haaland’s style of play reminds him of Jamie Vardy in the Premier League, but the Dutch international believes that Haaland has a superior level of physicality to his game when compared to the Englishman:

“(It’s a) bit like how Jamie Vardy plays. The only thing I think Haaland has is maybe he’s a little bit stronger than Vardy but it could be very difficult to defend against.”

The two players have faced off both internationally and at club level, with their first meeting coming when Haaland still played for RB Salzburg. Even then, it was very clear that Haaland was destined for great things. Dortmund’s goal machine has been critical to bailing Die Schwarzgelben out of some sticky situations so far this season. A recent injury sidelined Haaland for the time being, but Sebastian Kehl has indicated that the player may be fit to face Mainz once the international break is over.