Virgil van Dijk hailed France legend Olivier Giroud as the most difficult striker he has come up against in a glowing verdict on the former Arsenal and Chelsea star.
Giroud, 36, spent nine years plying his trade in England, winning the FA Cup three times with Arsenal before going on to lift the Champions League - alongside another FA Cup and the Europa League - with the Gunners' cross-town rivals. The veteran centre-forward has offered a steady stream of goals wherever he has plied his trade and added to his trophy cabinet last season with a Serie A triumph at AC Milan.
Liverpool defender Van Dijk, who has has come up against the best strikers in the world during his time playing in the Premier League and Champions League, is full of praise for Giroud. In particular, the Dutchman is impressed by the way the 6'4" frontman has a knack for popping up with a goal out of nowhere.
"Olivier Giroud was the striker I've struggled against the most," Van Dijk was speaking on The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet. "I always felt like I had him, but somehow, he always managed to score against us. Whether it was for Arsenal, Chelsea or France, he always scored.
"The year we won the Premier League in the 2019/20 season, we beat Chelsea 5-2. We were winning 3-0 and he scored a scrappy goal, and I thought to myself 'we're winning comfortably, but he's still scoring against me'."
During the match Van Dijk referenced, Giroud pounced on a rebound to prod past Alisson and pull a goal back for Chelsea just before half-time. The goal put a dent in Liverpool's three-goal lead but Jurgen Klopp's side went on to secure a 5-3 victory.
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It proved to be a joyous night at Anfield as the Reds got their hands on the top-flight trophy to end a 30-year wait for domestic glory. However, rivals Manchester City have won the Premier League in the last two seasons, thanks in part to the magisterial midfield performances of Kevin De Bruyne.
As well as picking out Giroud, Van Dijk reserved special praise for the Belgian playmaker, labelling him "unbelievable" and highlighting just how complete his skillset is. "Someone that I've never played with before but would love at Liverpool is Kevin De Bruyne," Van Dijk added.
"He's unbelievable, and if he would've played at Liverpool, we would've gone even further than what we have done. He's outstanding, good on the ball, he presses high, scores plenty of goals, and has every attribute of a modern-day midfielder and footballer in general."
