Virgil van Dijk had a bad day at the office on Wednesday as Liverpool lost 3-0 to Barcelona and he's "glad" he doesn't have to play against Lionel Messi every season.
In a clash billed as the 'best forward' vs. the 'best defender', Messi came out on top after scoring a stunning brace including a sublime second-half free-kick to record his 600th Barcelona goal.
Van Dijk, who has been commanding in the Premier League, failed to keep a clean sheet at Camp Nou as Barcelona head into the second leg with a three-goal advantage.
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And speaking after his side's defeat in the Champions League, Van Dijk talked up Messi's brilliance.
"He's a fantastic player, it's very obvious, I think the hard part is that when we attack, he's waiting somewhere, in the corner or anywhere, so you need to be well organized in defense," he said.
"We knew how it could be, we knew that we could add more people in that band, but when you lose easy or difficult balls they try to find you and cause us problems.
"When you face Messi off at its best cannot do anything. I'm glad I'm not in Spain so I do not have to face him every season, he scored two goals, I'm very disappointed."
Van Dijk was also subject to criticism for his part in Barcelona's first goal. The Dutchman failed to track Luis Suarez who netted against his former team to open the scoring.
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Rio Ferdinand believes he was at fault for Suarez's goal.
"Virgil van Dijk...he's at fault," the ex-Manchester United defender said following Liverpool's defeat.
"He can see Suarez there, he's pointing where he wants it. It's not rocket science.
"He's right in front of him - that's your man - the No.9 on the back of his shirt. Static. Virgil van Dijk there was static. It's criminal.
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"In that position he has to be Matip's eyes and ears. He'll be disappointed with that."
Messi vs. Van Dijk part two goes down next week.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Football, Manchester United, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Virgil Van Dijk, Rio Ferdinand, Champions League, Camp Nou