Virgil van Dijk names the four toughest Premier League strikers he has faced in his career

Featured Image Credit: Getty / Sky Sports

The four hardest strikers Virgil van Dijk, a star for Liverpool, has faced in the Premier League are listed below.

The Dutch defender joined Southampton in 2015 and moved to Liverpool in January 2018 for £75 million, meaning he has now played in the top division of English football for nearly nine years.

Van Dijk has frequently faced the top teams in the Premier League during that time, including Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

The 32-year-old can thus pick from a wide range of options when describing the hardest strikers he has ever encountered.

Olivier Giroud, who terrified defenses with his strength and aerial prowess while playing for Arsenal and Chelsea, is ranked #1 for Van Dijk.

Many consider the Frenchman as one of the most underrated strikers in Premier League history, given his key contributions to Chelsea winning the 2020/21 Champions League, his performances for France and his league titles won in France and Italy.

Van Dijk, who thinks Olivier Giroud [is the toughest striker I’ve played against], told France Football (quotes via GFFN) that he is a huge fan of Giroud.

“Whenever you believe you have him under control and that you have him well marked, he always finds a way to score.

“With his head, his foot, his knee, he has often scored against me.”

The center back named Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and Manchester City’s legendary Sergio Aguero as two of his other toughest opponents.

After joining City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, Erling Haaland has emerged as the best striker in the division, earning the other spot in the top four.

While Aguero’s runs in behind and clinical finishing at City are often perfectly complemented by Jesus, the three strikers have very different profiles.

Van Dijk only said, “They make all your matches very difficult,” without providing much more context for why those three players were especially difficult.