What Lionel Messi has said about Virgil van Dijk as Cristiano Ronaldo transfer plan emerges

Cristiano Ronaldo's thoughts on Virgil van Dijk joining him at Al-Nassr might have been left unsaid for now, but Ronaldo's great rival Lionel Messi is a huge fan of the Dutch defender.

Van Dijk, who has a year left on his Liverpool contract, has reportedly been offered a mega-money deal to join the Saudi Pro League side. Were he to accept, he would be reunited with former Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane - as well as big names including Ronaldo and Aymeric Laporte - at the Riyadh-based club.

Fortunately for Liverpool, Van Dijk has publicly given every indication he wants to stay put at Anfield. He will almost certainly have other offers, and the Saudi opportunity would be lucrative, but for now there seems every intention of being part of Arne Slot's new era even if contract talks are on hold for now.

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The summer transfer window is set to be a busy one for the Saudi Pro League, as clubs look to confirm the competition is still appealing to European football's big names. Van Dijk would undoubtedly be a statement signing, while the Dutchman's club teammate Mohamed Salah continues to be linked with Al-Nassr's rivals.

Messi is one player not moving to the gulf state, but he's been a rival of Ronaldo's for the bulk of both of their careers. And if Messi rates someone, as is the case with Van Dijk, one imagines he's capable of causing problems for the Portugal star.

"He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey [the attacker]," Messi told Marca after taking on Van Dijk's Liverpool with Barcelona in 2019. "He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height."

"He is fast because of his great stride, and he is impressive both in defence and attack because he scores lots of goals," Messi added. Messi starred in the first leg of that 2019 Champions League meeting as Barca secured a 3-0 win at Camp Nou, only for Liverpool to win the return leg 4-0 at Anfield before going on to win the final.

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More than three years later, though, Messi got a modicum of revenge. His Argentina team took on Van Dijk's Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, winning on penalties and going on to lift the trophy in Qatar.

Van Dijk's role in Liverpool's Champions League triumph helped him secure second place in the Ballon d'Or voting that year, behind Messi. However, his quip about whether or not Ronaldo was a rival to him that year didn't go down too well with the Portugal forward's sister Katia Aveiro.

"I think there are people living completely frustrated!!! And unrealistic... such humility!" Katia wrote as part of a lengthy rant on social media. "Now, dear Virgil, where you are going, Cristiano Ronaldo has gone and has come a thousand times."

"You see, my dear Virgil, that Cristiano Ronaldo was a tri-champion in the country where you have been playing for years and you still haven't got your hand on the trophy. Cristiano Ronaldo was even the best player and best scorer in the country where you play Virgil. By the way, he was even younger than you."