Van Dijk vs Ronaldo: What happens when the best defender meets the best striker?


The two opposing captains face off on Sunday night in the first ever UEFA Nations League final with Ronaldo coming off the back of a 53rd hat-trick
 
The last that most casual fans saw of Cristiano Ronaldo during the club season was for Juventus in the Champions League quarter-finals against Ajax. He scored in both legs, which ahead of the UEFA Nations League final against the Netherlands will give Matthijs de Ligt and Daley Blind in particular cause for concern.
Ronaldo showed on both evenings that even in a malfunctioning team he is capable of deciding outcomes. Juventus failed in the Champions League this year and as a result there will be big changes in Turin this summer, starting with the coach.
Ronaldo was the only player to score for them in the knockout rounds; he followed up his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 with a goal in each leg against the Dutch champions. It wasn’t enough. He carried more than his fair share for the Italians and was let down by what was going on around him.

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