Last time Virgil van Dijk visited the Nou Camp, he was part of a Celtic defence which conceded SIX goals to Barcelona during a Champions League battering.
The new PFA Player of the Year will be keen to avenge that night when he returns with Liverpool for the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.
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Neymar put Van Dijk and Celtic to the sword
But his former Celtic team-mate, Joe Ledley, insists the Dutchman shouldn’t regret the humbling in Spain – because he stopped Barcelona scoring even more.
“We weren’t at it at all,” Ledley, now at Derby, told The Sun. “Virgil, and credit to him, he was brilliant. It could have been a lot more without him.”
Neymar tore the Celtic defence to shreds with a hat-trick on the night back in December 2013 – and tonight Van Dijk faces the ominous task of keeping Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi quiet.
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Van Dijk has become one of the best defenders in the world – and Liverpool boast Europe’s tightest defence thanks largely to his influence.
While Ledley thinks the world of his former team-mate, he fears the brilliant Argentine may prove too much to handle.
“Messi drifts in and out of games and you don’t see him at times. When you do see him you are struggling,” Ledley added.
“He can change a game whenever he wants. It will be difficult for Liverpool because Barcelona are a fantastic team. They have had a fantastic season and hopefully they can continue it.
“But I’ve not been surprised by the rise of Virgil at all. We could see straight away from when he signed at Celtic how good he was.
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Joe Ledley was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football Centre
“He was so calm and had everything. He could hit shots, win headers, he’s strong, quick and you could see back then how good of a player he was going to be.
“People disrespect Scottish football and say he should be doing that in that division but he was waiting for the opportunity and Southampton came in.
“I was surprised he went under the radar and other clubs didn’t snap him up as £10million was a steal.
“He’s quietly got on with his job but you could see the ability he had.
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“It was great to play alongside him, he was brilliant for Celtic and he’s gone on from strength to strength every season since.
“He’s still young and Liverpool is a big club to play for but he’s gone in there and done his job.
“He’s got the experience of playing for Celtic and that has helped him. He’s a fantastic player.”
Ledley was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football Centre. The Fun Football programme is designed to introduce children to football and you can register for a session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/
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