Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk challenges Wayne Rooney over criticism of his leadership in awkward interview

4 November 2025, 23:12 | Updated: 5 November 2025, 12:41

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk challenged Wayne Rooney about the pundit's criticism of his leadership during the team's losing run in an awkward post-match interview following their win over Real Madrid.

Alexis Mac Allister's second-half header sealed a 1-0 victory after Liverpool ended a four-game losing run in the Premier League by beating Aston Villa on Saturday.

Rooney had said Van Dijk's body language was a "concern" following last month's defeat at Brentford and questioned if the captain's leadership had suffered after signing a new deal at the end of last season.

Van Dijk said after the win over Villa that the former England striker's criticism was "lazy" before Rooney doubled down on his comments, only for the pair to be brought face-to-face live on TV days later.

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