Olivier Giroud has won a World Cup, a Champions League and a Serie A title, and scored more goals for France than any player in the nation’s history. So when the striker singles out an opponent as the defender he would least want to face, it carries weight. For Giroud, that man is Virgil van Dijk — and he believes the Netherlands captain remains the single most important figure in the Dutch bid to win the 2026 World Cup.
“He is the big brother of that team,” Giroud said of the 34-year-old. “Everything good they do defensively starts with him. You can have all the young talent in the world, but you need someone who organises, who stays calm, who never panics. Virgil is that man. For me he is still the best defender in the world to play against — and the hardest.”
Why Giroud rates Van Dijk above the rest
Giroud’s admiration is rooted in direct experience. The pair have met repeatedly in the Premier League and in European competition, and the Frenchman speaks as someone who has spent 90 minutes trying — and largely failing — to find space behind the Liverpool defender. Van Dijk’s reading of the game, his recovery pace and his refusal to be drawn into the duels strikers crave have long made him the benchmark for the modern centre-half.
His individual record underlines the point. Van Dijk was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2019 and finished runner-up in that year’s Ballon d’Or, the highest a defender had placed in more than a decade. He has anchored Liverpool’s most successful era in a generation, winning the Champions League and ending the club’s 30-year wait for a league title. For the Netherlands, he has been the constant — the captain who steadied a side rebuilding after years in the international wilderness.
“When you play against him, he takes away your first idea,” Giroud explained. “As a striker you want to surprise the defender. With Virgil, he is already there. You have to invent something new every time, and that is exhausting.”
The leadership the Dutch cannot replace
The significance of Giroud’s words goes beyond defending. The Netherlands have produced a wave of attacking and midfield talent in recent cycles, but questions persist over the depth and experience at the back. Van Dijk’s value, as Giroud frames it, is as much about temperament as technique — the calming presence that allows younger team-mates to play without fear.
That role becomes more important in tournament football, where margins are thin and a single defensive lapse can end a campaign. The Dutch have history here: their wait for a first World Cup title now stretches back through three losing finals, including the 2010 defeat by Spain. Each near-miss has reinforced the sense that the Netherlands rarely lack flair but have too often lacked control at the decisive moments. A defender who supplies that control is, in Giroud’s view, exactly what separates a good Dutch side from a winning one.
There is also the question of time. At 34, Van Dijk is unlikely to feature at another World Cup, and the Netherlands’ coaching staff are acutely aware that this tournament may represent the last chance to build a deep run around his peak authority. The challenge is to protect him — managing his minutes through the group stage so that he is at his sharpest when the knockout rounds arrive.
What it means for the Dutch in 2026
For the Netherlands, Giroud’s endorsement is a reminder of where their strongest asset lies. The expanded 48-team World Cup offers more games and a longer road to the final than ever before, and squads will be tested for stamina and concentration across a punishing schedule. A defence marshalled by a leader who has navigated the latter stages of the biggest club competitions is precisely the kind of foundation that survives that grind.
Giroud, now in the closing chapter of his own career, recognises the type. France’s 2018 triumph was built not on their dazzling forwards alone but on a spine of players who refused to lose composure. He sees the same quality in Van Dijk — and believes it can carry the Dutch deep into the summer.
“If the Netherlands go far, it will be because of him,” Giroud said. “Not only his defending. His mentality. He makes everyone around him better. That is the rarest thing in football, and they are lucky to have it.”
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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