Klopp defends – Rafael van der Vaart sparked a public backlash after comparing Virgil van Dijk’s late defensive turning against Japan to a Boeing 747. Jurgen Klopp quickly stepped in during the Netherlands’ 5-1 win over Sweden, dismissing van der Vaart’s criticism and adding
Virgil van Dijk’s late moment against Japan was still being talked about in Dutch football circles when Rafael van der Vaart fired the comparison that lit the fuse. Now, the row has pulled in the one man who once coached van Dijk every day at Liverpool.
Van der Vaart. a former Spurs midfielder who played for the club between 2010 and 2012. is working for Dutch broadcaster NOS at the World Cup. After the Netherlands drew their World Cup opener with Japan last week. the 43-year-old set off a storm with his assessment of how the Netherlands captain turned after conceding late.
“I must honestly say that I was a bit shocked by Van Dijk. That turning… It was a bit of a Boeing 747. I hope he will run a little faster during the tournament,” van der Vaart said.
Saturday’s reaction came quickly. Appearing on German TV after the Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 to all-but qualify for the knockouts, Jurgen Klopp didn’t just disagree—he moved to protect the player he coached for six years.
“I don’t know if it’s worth naming Rafael van der Vaart at all,” Klopp said. “But if he ever says something positive about a player, I’m willing to take him seriously again.”
Klopp’s frustration turned sharper as he described what he believes sits behind the criticism. “You have the feeling that he sees something, which then has to be expressed in a flowery way and then he goes against it. But it’s not that important.”
Van Dijk played under Klopp at Liverpool for six years, a spell that brought eight major honours, and he served as captain during Klopp’s final season at the club.
Klopp’s defence lands amid a wider wave of controversy around van der Vaart’s work on NOS. During the Netherlands’ Japan match coverage, van der Vaart faced racism allegations after saying that the Japanese players “look alike” while delivering analysis on air.
The criticism didn’t stop there. After Japan’s late goal. van der Vaart analysed Micky van de Ven’s role defending the corner in the TV studio. saying: “He loses him completely. You can see him moving around. If you are the one marking him, then you are responsible for your man. Look, he’s completely unmarked. Van de Ven is nowhere to be seen. He is completely free to make that header.”.
Referring to Japan’s players, he added: “They do all look alike of course, perhaps he thought that”.
Van der Vaart later released a statement following the incident, saying his intention was “never to insult, hurt, or discriminate against anyone.”
For now, the on-air clash of styles—van der Vaart’s blunt comparisons and Klopp’s insistence that the criticism is beside the point—has spilled from the studio onto the pitch storylines themselves, just as the Netherlands move closer to the knockout stages.
MISRYOUM Jurgen Klopp Rafael van der Vaart Virgil van Dijk Boeing 747 Netherlands vs Sweden Netherlands vs Japan NOS World Cup Micky van de Ven