Virgil van Dijk celebrates Liverpool’s win over Real Madrid (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has singled out Conor Bradley for praise for the way he kept Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior quiet in last night’s big game in the Champions League.
The young right-back has become more of a key player for Liverpool this season after the summer departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and with Jeremie Frimpong struggling for both fitness and form since he joined from Bayer Leverkusen.
Van Dijk was clearly happy with Bradley’s performance in the 1-0 win over Real Madrid last night, with the Northern Ireland international dealing with Vinicius well throughout the game and ensuring the Brazilian barely had any impact.
Watch the video clip below for Van Dijk’s reaction as he sang Bradley’s praises…
? Virgil van Dijk praised “outstanding” Conor Bradley for how he kept Vinicius Jr quiet! ?? pic.twitter.com/poXve6TkX7
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) November 5, 2025
Can Conor Bradley help Liverpool replace Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Alexander-Arnold’s exit was a real blow for LFC, with the England international running down his contract before completing a move to the Bernabeu.
It was never going to be easy for whoever came next for Liverpool in that position, and even a proven talent like Frimpong has been slow to settle in and find the kind of form that he showed during his time in Germany.
Bradley, however, looks like a real revelation for Arne Slot’s side, and deserved his special praise from Van Dijk.
As the season goes on, it will be interesting to see if it’s Bradley or Frimpong who end up being first choice at right-back for Liverpool.
For now, though, if the Dutch tactician picks solely based on merit, then there’s arguably a very good case for Bradley continuing to start in that position.
? “You cannot compare Trent with Connor…”
Arne Slot admits he has one concern about Connor Bradley at right-back…? pic.twitter.com/DYd4dXeybS
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) November 2, 2025
Speaking recently, though, Slot was keen to play down any comparisons between Bradley and Alexander-Arnold, which will understandably have been to try to ease pressure on the 22-year-old.
Still, a quick look at the stats below show just how effectively Bradley kept Vinicius quiet, showing that he’s very much the real deal if he can keep on performing like this and developing his game with experience.
?? ????????: Conor Bradley won 100% of his tackles and 8 duels vs. Vinicius Jr tonight.
Vinicius lost possession 19 times against him, had 0 shots, and 0 G/A. pic.twitter.com/fwJKKpaekO
— The Touchline | ? (@TouchlineX) November 4, 2025