Virgil van Dijk didn’t shy away from addressing Wayne Rooney’s recent criticism of him — and he did it live on air after Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

The Liverpool captain joined the Amazon Prime post-match panel, where Rooney was working as a pundit. The meeting marked the first time the two had come face-to-face since Rooney’s comments last month, when he questioned Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s body language during Liverpool’s run of four straight Premier League defeats.

At the time, Van Dijk dismissed Rooney’s remarks as “lazy criticism,” prompting Rooney to stand by his original comments. So when the pair shared the camera again, it was always going to make for an interesting encounter.

The Exchange

Van Dijk approached the pundit team pitchside, shaking hands with each of them — including Rooney — before taking his place beside the former Manchester United and England striker.

Presenter Gabby Logan began by asking Van Dijk to reflect on Liverpool’s improved form, referencing a team meeting held after their 2-1 loss to Manchester United in October.

Van Dijk: “It’s easy to say now, after two wins, that it helped. But during a chaotic spell, you have to stay calm and keep perspective. Back in October, we knew there was still so much football left to play. There was a lot of noise around us at that point.”

Logan smiled and teased, “You looking at anyone around here in particular?”

Van Dijk: “No, not at all. But it’s important to stay focused, work hard, and get through it. The quality in this team has never been the issue.”

Robbie Fowler then asked if outside criticism ever affects the players.

Van Dijk: “We’ve got a mix of young and experienced players, and everyone deals with it differently. Personally, I’m not affected, but as captain, I know some of the younger lads can be.”

When asked if some of the criticism had been fair, Van Dijk was honest yet firm:

Van Dijk: “Of course — when you lose four or five games in a row, criticism is fair. But sometimes it goes over the top, and that’s the world we live in now. There are so many platforms where things get blown up. It helps when ex-players who’ve been through similar moments can offer perspective.”

Van Dijk smiled as he said this, prompting laughter from Rooney, who replied:

Rooney: “I’m not saying anything more — maybe I gave them motivation and started their winning streak! But honestly, what I said was fair. When a team like Liverpool loses a few in a row, you expect leaders like Virgil to step up — and that’s exactly what he’s done. The response from him and the team has been brilliant.”

Van Dijk, keeping his cool, responded:

Van Dijk: “I’ll always take responsibility. But when you said I signed my new deal and then just switched off — that part I thought was a bit much. That’s just my view though — and we move on.”

The exchange ended on a good note, with Van Dijk embracing Rooney and the rest of the pundit team before heading back down the tunnel.

While the encounter may have been a little tense, it also showed two professionals willing to face criticism and move past it — live in front of millions.