Virgil Van Dijk

Virgil Van Dijk was born to a Dutch father and Surinamese mother in Breda, starting his youth football career with Willem II and then Groningen, making his full debut in May 2011. During his time at Groningen, he played in the Europa League and moved to Celtic in June 2013. He had a shaky start with them after breaking his foot in pre-season but went on to become a regular for the next two seasons, scoring fifteen goals in 115 games. However, after Celtic were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers in the summer of 2015 he sought a fresh challenge and joined Southampton on transfer deadline day in a £13 million deal. He missed only eleven minutes of action in his first season at St Mary's and made his Netherlands debut in October 2015.

In January 2017 Van Dijk was named club skipper but then suffered an ankle injury ruling him out for the rest of the season. During the close season in 2017, Liverpool were linked to Van Dijk who expressed a desire to move on, but in a dramatic development, the club issued a statement ending any interest in him, amid claims Southampton might be reporting them for false approaches. Strong, fast and a good organiser, Van Dijk was a reported target for several clubs but Southampton refused to sell him during that transfer window. Rather than sign an alternative, Liverpool remained patient and on 28 December it was announced that a £75 million fee had been agreed for him to join on 2 January. It was a world-record fee for a defender and Van Dijk became the most expensive player in Liverpool's history. The first instalment of that was paid on his debut, when he headed a late winner against Everton in the FA Cup third round on 5 January. As the second half of the season went on, his calming and assuring presence was a major factor in Liverpool reaching the Champions League final. It was not just his ability, but his organisational skills that were crucial and by the summer, there were very few who thought the fee had been excessive, even claiming he was a bargain.

During 2018/19 Van Dijk surpassed the performances of his first half-season at Anfield. He started every Premier League game, being substituted just once and in the Champions League missed just one game through suspension. He got his first league goal at Wolves in December and scored the crucial second goal as Liverpool beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Allianz Arena in the Champions League round of sixteen. By then, fans were paying homage to him every game with a catchy song to the tune of "Dirty Old Town". Van Dijk was deservedly named the PFA Player of the Year, having a helping hand in 21 clean sheets from 38 league games, as well as maintaining the unbelievable statistic of not being dribbled past all season. As a recognition of his and Liverpool's exploits in the Champions League, Van Dijk beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to be voted UEFA Men's Player of the year for 2019, receiving 305 points compared to 207 for Messi and 74 for Ronaldo. He is the first defender to receive this honour since it was first presented to Messi in 2011. Incredibly Van Dijk was only eight points (679) away from beating Messi (686) to the Ballon d'Or in 2019, becoming only the twelfth defender to make it into top 3. Incidentally, following Cristiano Ronaldo who was third in the vote with 476 votes, were Van Dijk's teammates: Sadio Mané (347) and Mohamed Salah (178).

Van Dijk's signing for Liverpool has been a true watershed for the club that has lifted every single player who features alongside him. Alan Hansen was famously a nervous wreck before matches but the Dutchman couldn't be more different: “I’m never nervous any more," Van Dijk revealed in May 2019. "With experience the nervousness is not there. When I made my debut for Liverpool against Everton, I was more excited than nervous. I surprised myself that day with my calm. If you’re nervous you think: ‘I don’t want to make mistakes or give the ball away.’ But you limit your own qualities then. Over the years I’ve developed the mindset that there are many more important things in life.”

Van Dijk's composure is for all to see and he led Liverpool in yet another remarkable season when the 30-year wait for the league crown came to an end. He was the only Liverpool player who played every single minute in the 2019/20 league campaign. When asked who is the Premiership's greatest ever centre-half, former Manchester City captain, Vincent Kompany was in no doubt. “I would bring it back to Virgil van Dijk,” Kompany said in May 2020. “It’s a weird one because he hasn’t been on the scene as long as these names we have mentioned: John Terry, Rio Ferdinand. These guys were there for a long time. But the signs he has showed in his last few years just make it so obvious that if he would have been at the top level before that he would have already gone further as well. From what I’ve seen in terms of having an impact on a team, and a defender is never about himself it’s about communication with other guys and how you make your team more solid. The Liverpool before van Dijk and the one after him, it’s a completely different setup and I’ll give him that one because of that."

Five games into 2020/21, Van Dijk suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his right knee after a challenge by Everton's Jordan Pickford. He was ruled out for the rest of the season and chose not to risk his come back by making himself available for Euro 2020, held over from the previous summer due to Covid 19. Van Dijk returned to the centre of Liverpool's defence for the start of 2021/22 and gradually got back to his best as Liverpool came close to an unprecedented quadruple. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year and in November 2022 was announced as Netherlands' captain for the World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten by eventual winners Argentina in the quarter finals.

The 2022/23 season proved to be a challenging one for the club, with inconsistency across the pitch leading to a fifth-place finish and the absence of Champions League qualification. Van Dijk himself was a constant figure, featuring heavily in both domestic and European competition, though he faced questions about form. Even so, his leadership and organisational qualities remained crucial as younger defenders were rotated around him. The following year brought a shift in responsibility. With Jordan Henderson moving on in the summer of 2023, Van Dijk was confirmed as Liverpool’s club captain. In 2023/24, he responded to the role with authority, restoring stability at the back and producing a series of commanding displays. His composure on the ball and ability to read the game were central to Liverpool’s challenge on multiple fronts. He was back to full fitness and form, playing every minute of the Premier League games which he was available for. This was 36 in total, the two he missed came after a harsh red card in a win at Newcastle early in the season. He led the side to victory in the Carabao Cup, scoring in the final at Wembley against Chelsea, and was a towering presence in a season where Klopp’s men stayed in contention for the Premier League until late in the campaign. Van Dijk’s influence extended well beyond defending; his ability to calm younger teammates and set the tone on the pitch made him the clear figurehead.

In 2024/25, Van Dijk remained the cornerstone of the defence under new management. By now firmly established as one of the most important leaders of the modern era at Anfield, he had become both a standard-bearer for professionalism and a symbol of the team’s resilience across a period of great transition. The Dutch centre-back started in 49 of the club’s matches across all competitions, with just three occasions on the bench and none as a substitute. His availability and consistency propelled him to be second only to Mohamed Salah in total minutes for Liverpool. Defensive solidity was central to Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, and van Dijk played his part in keeping 14 clean sheets in the Premier League alone. Van Dijk’s composure on the ball remains a trademark of his play. He completed 2,684 passes over the 2024/25 season and maintained a Premier League-leading passing accuracy of 91.7%, with many of his passes directed into the final third—testimony to his calm, patient build-up play under Arne Slot’s more controlled style. How apt it was to have one of the greatest defenders in Liverpool's history, if not the greatest, Alan Hansen, to hand Virgil the league title. Liverpool had a luxury of stars and at the forefront the greatest centre-half in world football.

Van Dijk played every minute of the 2025/26 Premier League season. He was the only outfield player in both the Liverpool squad and the Premier League to achieve the feat, underlining both his remarkable durability and his importance to Slot's side. Liverpool endured a clear defensive decline over the course of the campaign, conceding 53 Premier League goals — their highest total in a 38-game league season in recent history. As captain and central organiser, Van Dijk spent much of the season operating under sustained pressure. With Liverpool less secure in midfield and more vulnerable in transition, the defence was frequently exposed to counter-attacks and situations where opponents were able to attack space in behind. This increased the number of high-pressure defensive phases the team had to absorb across the season. The team had to defend deeper for longer periods, limiting the opportunity to defend proactively higher up the pitch. The overall cohesion between midfield and defence was inconsistent, contributing to the higher goals conceded total. Van Dijk's aerial dominance remained a key strength and despite the defensive difficulties, he enjoyed his most productive goalscoring season for Liverpool, finishing with eight goals in all competitions. Several of these came from set pieces, underlining his continued threat in attacking situations and his importance in both boxes.