November 26th 2024.
Over the years, Martin Odegaard and Virgil van Dijk have been engaged in several intense battles. Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, recently revealed that Liverpool's defender, Van Dijk, is the toughest opponent he has ever faced in his career. After joining Arsenal on loan and then permanently three years ago, Odegaard has become one of the top midfielders in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, Arsenal struggled this season when Odegaard was out for 12 games due to injury. Without his creativity in the midfield, the team dropped valuable points in the Premier League title race. However, in their recent game against Nottingham Forest, Odegaard proved his worth by setting up Bukayo Saka for his second assist in as many games. Tonight, Odegaard is expected to lead Arsenal in their Champions League match against Sporting, and he is determined to continue his strong performance after recovering from his frustrating injury.
Since he made his debut as a 13-year-old with Stromsgodset in 2013, Odegaard has faced some of the best defenders in the world. But in a quickfire Q&A with TNT Sports, he declared that Virgil van Dijk stands out as the toughest opponent he has faced in his 11-year career. When asked to name his toughest opponent, Odegaard replied, "I think Virgil is a really tough one."
In the same interview, Odegaard revealed that Zinedine Zidane is the most famous name on his contact list, and Kai Havertz is his best friend in football. He also named Thierry Henry as Arsenal's greatest player of all time. When it comes to his favorite kit from his time in top-level football, Odegaard chose Arsenal's black kit from the 2022/23 season.
On the other hand, Van Dijk surprised many fans when he named Olivier Giroud as his toughest opponent earlier this year. The Liverpool and Netherlands center-back said that Giroud is his "bogeyman." According to Van Dijk, no matter how well he marks Giroud, the French striker always manages to score against him with his head, foot, or knee. Even though Van Dijk feels like he has Giroud under control, the striker always finds a way to score.
After Liverpool's 5-3 win against Chelsea in July 2020, Van Dijk shared a funny moment he had with Giroud. He jokingly said to Giroud, "You scored again?!" after he scored a scrappy goal against Liverpool. Van Dijk added, "So I would say he is the guy that scores against me, and just that annoying person." It's clear that both Odegaard and Van Dijk have a lot of respect for each other, despite the intense battles they have had on the field.
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