Virgil van Dijk (born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for Liverpool and the Netherlands national football team. Explore with tip88 through the following article.
Biography Who is Virgil van Dijk?
Virgil van Dijk was born on July 8, 1991 in Breda, Netherlands. His father is Dutch and his mother is Surinamese. Van Dijk grew up in a street football environment, often playing on Saturdays in concrete cages.
He caught the eye of Willem II Club and started on the path to playing professional football. During his time at the Willem II youth team, Van Dijk worked a part-time job as a dishwasher.
Previously, Van Dijk used to play as a right-back, but he switched to the defensive midfielder position because he grew 18 cm taller when he was 17 years old. Despite the change in playing position and physical development, Willem II reserve team coach at that time, Edwin Hermans, thought he had “too many limitations” to break into the first team.
Virgil van Dijk’s playing career
From the time he played for small clubs in the Netherlands, until moving to England and quickly making a name for himself at Liverpool, Van Dijk has conquered a series of impressive milestones. His solid aerial ability, composure in defense and sharp observation have turned him into a solid “rock” in defense, helping Liverpool win a series of noble titles. It can be said that every time Van Dijk appears, he brings confidence to the whole team and always inspires and wins the spirit of young players.
Southampton (2015 – 2018)
Van Dijk came to the English Premier League team for 13 million pounds. In his first season at St Mary’s, Van Dijk made a total of 34 appearances in the Premier League and scored 3 goals. He contributed to helping The Saints finish 6th, winning tickets to the Europa League and only 3 points behind the Champions League group.
In the 2016-17 season, he was given the Southampton captaincy after Jose Fonte left the team. Although he did not play much this season due to injury, Van Dijk still had a successful season when he and The Saints reached the EFL Cup final.
Since then, he has received attention from Liverpool, to the point that the Anfield team had to apologize to Southampton for “traveling at night” illegally. During the 2017-18 season, he sent a request to the team to ask for permission to transfer to another club in the next transfer window.
Liverpool (2018 to present)
At the beginning of 2018, Van Dijk joined Liverpool for a record transfer fee for a defender of £75 million. Former team Celtic received 10% of the proceeds from his sale according to contract terms.
He made his Liverpool debut in the 2017-18 FA Cup third round against Everton. Van Dijk scored and became the first player to score on his Merseyside derby debut since 1901 when Bill White did so.
Van Dijk and Dejan Lovren are a good center-back pair that helped Liverpool reach the 2018 Champions League final but lost to Real Madrid in Kiev. Even though he only played half a season in the Champions League, he was still named in the tournament’s representative team because of his influence in helping Liverpool reach the final.
In the 2018-19 season, Van Dijk played sublimely and helped Liverpool quench their thirst for the Champions League title after 14 years of waiting. He won countless individual awards, notably the title of best player in the Premier League and Champions League. Unfortunately, in the two categories Ballon D’Or and FIFA The Best, Van Dijk only finished second behind Lionel Messi.
Virgil van Dijk’s career in the Netherlands national team
On October 10, 2015, Van Dijk made his Oranje debut in the match against Kazakhstan in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Van Dijk has never participated in major tournaments like the World Cup and Euro. But if Euro 2020 is counted, he will have his first time participating in a major tournament at the national team level.
The biggest achievement to date that Van Dijk and the Netherlands national team have is the runner-up position in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League. The “Orange Cyclone” lost to Portugal in the final. However, he and his teammates are considered one of the most formidable opponents in major tournaments in the future.
See more: đăng nhập tip88
Van Dijk: Liverpool’s new captain and question mark about the future
The 33-year-old midfielder replaces Jordan Henderson as Liverpool’s captain from 2023 under Jurgen Klopp and continues to take on this responsibility after Arne Slot takes over. Last season, Van Dijk scored the only goal in extra time to help Liverpool defeat Chelsea in the League Cup final, winning the final title under Klopp.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool in 2018 for $100 million – a record for a defender at that time and immediately became an irreplaceable pillar. The Dutch midfielder scored 26 goals in 310 matches in all competitions, making a major contribution to helping Liverpool win eight titles, including one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups, one English Super Cup, one Champions League, one European Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Van Dijk only has a three-month contract left and it is still unknown whether he will play for Liverpool next season or not. But he affirmed that he was not distracted about the future. “I feel like I’m in the best form of my career,” the 33-year-old player expressed. “I enjoy playing, leading young teammates, taking on more responsibility. Maybe because I’m getting older. Let’s wait and see.”
Conclusion
With a solid foundation from his time playing in the Netherlands, the turning point of moving to England and winning all the glory with Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk has affirmed his talent and remarkable leadership spirit. From the old “dishwashing boy” to the mainstay of The Kop’s defense, Van Dijk has always shown excellent aerial ability, calm demeanor and great influence on the team. Although there are still many questions about his future, he still enjoys every moment on the field, ready to take on the role of captain and continue his great journey.