Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez has picked out the three toughest opponents he has faced so far in his career.
Alvarez, 25, made a name for himself after putting in a string of impressive performances for River Plate, earning him a move to Manchester City in 2022.
After making over 100 appearances for the Premier League side, Alvarez left City for Atletico back in the summer of 2024.
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Since then, the Argentine forward has scored 22 goals for Diego Simeone's side.
Speaking last year, Alvarez picked out the three defenders that caused him the most trouble in his career so far.
He said to ESPN: "Van Dijk because he is very strong. He's one of the best defenders in the world. I've also faced Cuti [Cristian] Romero and Licha [Lisandro] Martinez.
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"Cuti (Romero) because he's very aggressive and one of the best centre-backs in the world now too. And Licha (Martinez) too. They are both very similar in their aggressive defending."
Dutchman Virgil van Dijk suffered a disappointing night at Anfield on Tuesday after Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint Germain.
Ousmane Dembele scored to level the tie at 1-1 before Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones missed crucial penalties during the shootout, which handed PSG a place in the last eight.
On Wednesday night, Alvarez will look to help Atletico overturn a 2-1 deficit against cross-town rivals Real Madrid.
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Speaking ahead of the match, Atletico boss Simeone said: "I believe in my players, I trust this squad. I absolutely understand the heart they have and I have no doubt that we will be looking to stay in the Champions League. Our objective is to play in the final.
"Our people will push us, but the reality is what happens on the pitch. We're not going to win just because of what happens in the stands. We have to play a great game. I would ask the young players if they ever imagined playing in these matches, and surely they would say no. It is the most beautiful thing, the youth that is beginning to gain experience in these matches."
Topics: Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid, Virgil Van Dijk, Lisandro Martinez, Football, Champions League
Marcus Chan