Virgil van Dijk admitted Sergio Ramos is “not his type” of defender, whilst recalling Liverpool's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
Dejan Lovren and Mohamed Salah have both had their say on Sergio Ramos in recent months and Van Dijk is the latest to share his thoughts on the Spanish international.
Speaking to De Telegraaf whilst on duty with Netherlands, Van Dijk opened up on what he thinks of Ramos, admitting he his not keen on his defending style.
“Ramos is not the best. He's a great player and I respect what he has achieved, but he is not my type of central defender,” he said.
“Ramos' team-mate at Real Madrid, Raphael Varane, is my favourite. An excellent defender, young and has already won a lot.
“Myself, I don't like to defend in the way Ramos does. I try to avoid the situations he gets into, and don't even try to make slide tackles.”
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Ramos' challenge on Salah in the final saw the Egyptian forced off the pitch after just half an hour, with many - including Lovren - claiming it was an intentional tactic.
Whilst Van Dijk was more reserved in his thoughts about the Spaniard's intent, he admitted it greatly changed the course of the final.
“I do not know if it was on purpose, but mentally something changed for Real Madrid when Salah was substituted,” he continued.
“Suddenly Marcelo, Benzema and Ronaldo all focussed on our young right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and left the entire right side open.
Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“With Salah they would never have dared to do that. In any case, the competition would have been different.”
The Dutchman admitted he “still thinks about that night,” but is hoping to be back on the same stage to make amends sooner rather than later.
“I hope to once again stand on that podium and be on the right side of the score,” he said.
“If not, that night in Kyiv will always continue to hurt.”
