Van Dijk: Sergio Ramos Not My Type Of Defender

By Joshua Walters

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk has aimed a dig at Sergio Ramos, saying the Real Madrid defender is not his ‘type of defender’.

The Dutch defender admits to the Spain national team captain being a good player, but claims he is nowhere near his French teammate Raphael Verane.

Van Dijk’s comment comes in the wake of an ongoing feud between his teammate, Dejan Lovren, and Ramos after Croatia beat Spain 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League last Thursday.

Lovren posted a video on Instagram from the Croatia dressing room to celebrate his elbow on Ramos and taunt the defender by saying: 'Haha! 3-2! Go ahead and talk now buddy.'

Ramos has been the number-one enemy for the Reds since his foul on Salah in the 2017/18 Champions League final forced the Egyptian out of the field with the scores barren and Liverpool enjoying possession.

"He is a great player and I respect what he has achieved, but he is not the best, he is not my type of central defender," he said.

"Ramos' teammate at Real Madrid, Raphael Varane, is my favourite. He is an excellent defender and has already won a lot."

Madrid won the tie 3-1, and Van Dijk revealed the opponents took advantage of Salah’s absence to exploit young right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

"I do not know if it was deliberate, but mentally something changed when Salah came off," he added.

"Suddenly, Marcelo, Benzema, and Ronaldo all appeared at Trent and released the entire right side. With Salah they never dared to do that."

"The match could have been different. I sometimes think about the match but I hope to be in the final again and on the right side of the score."