Former Real Madrid player Rafael van der Vaart has insisted that former Manchester United forward, Memphis Depay, is the ‘Lionel Messi’ of the Netherlands national team.

Van der Vaart said this while comparing Depay’s spot-kick situation with the Netherlands to that of Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

“Of course, he misses penalties, but it is sad there is no one else willing to take them. I think the same with Messi,” Van der Vaart, who played for the Netherlands from 2001 to 2013, told NOS via Mundo Deportivo.

“He is the best player of all time, but he also misses lots of penalties. He takes them every time, but no one says: ‘Let me take it.’”

“I don’t compare Memphis with Messi, but he is a bit like our Messi. It is true he had a bad game against France, but he is still our best player.”