23 February 2024 , 09:31
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Jamie Carragher has taken yet another pop at his former England team-mate Rio Ferdinand by calling him a “poor man’s Virgil van Dijk ”.
Carragher and Ferdinand have a history of animosity, having traded insults on social media about subjects including the influence of Qatar and Saudi Arabia on the game. And now, after a prolonged period of silence, the ex-Liverpool defender has reignited things with an unprovoked jibe.
He was watching highlights of Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Luton on Wednesday night while in the CBS studio to work on their Champions League coverage. His colleague Micah Richards posted a video on his Instagram story in which he asked him to react to Virgil van Dijk’s equalising header.
“You don’t need to analyse that,” Carragher said. “Look at the colossus, look at him, look at him! A marvel of modern science. He is the best centre-back the Premier League has ever seen, by a mile.”
Richards then asked how Van Dijk compared to others, including Ferdinand, John Terry, Sol Campbell and Tony Adams. “JT could play alongside him, I would allow that,” Carragher replied, before stating that Ferdinand was a “poor man’s Van Dijk.”
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The dig is unlikely to go unnoticed by Ferdinand, who has previously used his YouTube show to fire shots at his punditry rival. The duo’s feud heated up last summer, when the expansion of the Saudi Pro League was the hottest topic in the game.
Carragher had given a negative view of the Middle Eastern country splashing the cash, prompting Ferdinand to call him out on FIVE. He said: “Jamie Carragher. Where are you man? I heard a lot of talk, a lot of negativity about Saudi. Oh, Bernardo Silva, I can't believe it. It's a disgrace, it needs investigating, this league, et cetera.
Rio Ferdinand has clashed with Jamie Carragher on social media before (TNT Sports) HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of the feud between Jamie Carragher and Rio Ferdinand? Comment below.
“Steven Gerrard's gone. You used to carry his boots and his bag at Anfield to games. Your boy's gone over there and I've not heard a peep out of you. I've not heard how disappointed you are. I want to see him say ‘I can't believe Stevie's gone there’.”
Carragher tweeted his reply: "[I] never criticised Silva, [Karim] Benzema, [Ruben] Neves or SG [Gerrard], I don’t like Saudi trying to buy football like they have Golf. I knew you’d be all over it Rio, like you were in Qatar!"
Virgil van Dijk powered in a header for Liverpool on Wednesday night (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)Carragher then accused Ferdinand of missing the BBC 's coverage of the opening game of the World Cup because he didn't want to criticise his "paymaster". It was reference to the fact Ferdinand had been rapped by the advertising watchdog over a social media post promoting tourism in Qatar where the “#ad” was not prominent enough.
Ferdinand shot back with: "Fake news. I’m a man that embraces all cultures – join the club, no need to fabricate, James! I was never asked to do the opener. I never saw uproar from you and others when the Premier League, Serie A, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Russia, etc we’re plucking the best talent from other leagues... keep the same energy!"
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