After winning the 2019 Golden Boot, Messi spoke exclusively to MARCA, revealing his thoughts on the competitions with Van Dijk.
MARCA asked Messi, "Why is it so difficult to beat a player like Virgil van Dijk?"
"He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey [the attacker]. He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height. He is fast because of its great stride, and he is impressive both in defence and attack because he scores lots of goals." Said the Golden Boot winner.