By Samuel Meade
Alexis Mac Allister admits he and Mohamed Salah regularly poke fun at Virgil van Dijk as they use a Lionel Messi jibe to wind up their Liverpool team-mate.
Just over a year ago Van Dijk was part of a Netherlands side that reached the last eight of the World Cup before their hopes were ended by eventual winners Argentina. The South Americans claimed victory on penalties in what was a hotly-contested affair.
There were 18 yellow cards and one red shown as tensions boiled over. Van Dijk missed his penalty in the shootout before Lionel Messi took aim at Wout Weghorst in a post match interview, calling the striker a "fool", which has inspired Mac Allister and Salah.
The World Cup winner told DSports’ ‘Can Pass’ : “With Salah we are telling Van Dijk all day, ‘Go ahead, stupid’ [‘Anda pa’lla, bobo’]. We drive him crazy. We also do it with each other with Mo when something happens.”
Van Dijk has struggled to achieve success on the international stage despite being a towering presence in the club game. He scored an extra-time winner last weekend as a youthful Liverpool saw off Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Messi admitted upon reflection that his outburst didn't sit well with him as he said: “I don’t like this picture. I don’t like what I did. There was a lot of tension and it came out naturally. A lot had happened with this player and two others during the match. It came out naturally. I don’t like this image.”
The legendary figure, who scored twice in the World Cup final, was unusually vocal in the aftermath of the win in Qatar. Messi took aim at Dutch boss Louis van Gaal: "I feel disrespected by Van Gaal after his pre-game comments and some Dutch players spoke too much during the game."
Not for the first time, Messi confessed to some regret after the game as he cupped his ears in the direction of Van Gaal. He told ESPN. "As soon as I did it I thought: 'What an idiot. They can still tie it.' These things usually happen."
Van Dijk admitted in the aftermath of their defeat to Argentina that he "didn't care" if the South Americans won the World Cup and wouldn't be watching the remained of the tournament.
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