Jurgen Klopp ignites public row with Rafael van der Vaart over Virgil van Dijk comments

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Former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart caused a stir with his stinging criticism of Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk - and now Jurgen Klopp has entered the frayJurgen Klopp has dismissed Rafael van der Vaart's comparison of Virgil van Dijk to a Boeing 747, insisting that the ex-Tottenham midfielder's opinion doesn't matter. Van der Vaart slammed his Netherlands compatriot Van Dijk after the 2-2 draw with Japan at the World Cup.The Dutch surrendered two leads in their World Cup opener, with Daichi Kamada's late goal seeing the points shared in Texas.

"I must honestly say that I was a bit shocked by Van Dijk," he said while analysing the final goal."That turning... He dismissed the criticism of the team's approach and the 5-1 thrashing of Sweden, featuring braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo, on Saturday put the debate to bed.Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletterHowever, Van Dijk's former Liverpool manager Klopp wasn't willing to let it lie.

Appearing on Germany television as a pundit for the Sweden match, the head of global soccer for Red Bull took the opportunity to return fire at Van der Vaart."I don't know if it's worth naming Rafael van der Vaart at all," Klopp said on MagentaTV. But it's not that important."The Van Dijk comments weren't the only thing from Van der Vaart that made headlines following the draw with Japan.