[26] He was one of three Celtic players named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. According to his uncle Steven, this is because of a family feud with his father, Ron van Dijk who abandoned his wife, Virgil and his siblings during childhood. Jamie Carragher has said the time has come for Liverpool to stop offering up Virgil van Dijk's absence as an excuse for the collapse of their season. [73] On 2 December, Van Dijk was awarded an assist for the winning goal in a derby match against city rivals Everton. Van Dijk was in good spirits during his session. [100], He was awarded the captaincy of his country by manager Ronald Koeman on 22 March 2018,[101] and his first match as captain was a 1–0 home friendly defeat by England the next day. [105], Van Dijk is a physically strong, right-footed centre-back, who usually features on the left-hand side of central defence, although he can also play as a right-sided centre-back. Virgil van Dijk to undergo surgery on knee injury External Link. Sir Kenny Dalglish has lauded Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as the club’s most talented defender ever, alongside Alan Hansen. The powerful Netherlands international, who combines a graceful reading of the game with a dominant physical skillset, has helped the Reds lift four major trophies to date. [41] His team again won the league, and Van Dijk was included in the league's Team of the Season for the second consecutive campaign. Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. Liverpool won 1–0 thanks to Divock Origi's 96th-minute goal, set up by a Van Dijk volley and a subsequent error from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. [57], Van Dijk remained with Southampton for the start of the 2017–18 season and made his first appearance since being injured in January, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 victory at Crystal Palace on 26 September. Van Dijk challenged to make Liverpool return this season. Virgil van Dijk is one of the greatest defenders of the modern era. [92] On 19 January 2020, Van Dijk scored his first North-West Derby goal against Manchester United in Liverpool’s 2–0 win at Anfield in the Premier League. Gary Lineker reacts to Virgil van Dijk’s training video. All rights reserved. [117], Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in, UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season, Liverpool Fans' Player of the Season Award, Liverpool Players' Player of the Season Award, "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed", "Virgil Van Dijk Voted The Best Defender In World Football", "Virgil van Dijk the best defender in the world, says Paul Merson", "Virgil van Dijk: Champions League Defender of the Season", "Virgil van Dijk wins UEFA Men's Player of the Year award", "Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool to sign Southampton defender for world record £75m", "Virgil van Dijk exclusive: "I'm not going to lie, I was pretty scared – I could have died, "Virgil van Dijk wants to be 'a legend of Liverpool' - in-depth wide-ranging BBC interview", "Virgil van Dijk is the best player in the Premier League: how the Dutch defender became Liverpool's leader", "Virgil van Dijk One of the Finest Centre-Backs in the Premier League", "Virgil van Dijk: Dutch defender joins Celtic", "Celtic and Dundee United trios in SPFL Premiership team of year", "Celtic 4–0 KR Reykjavik: Hoops ease into next Champions League round in comfortable fashion", "Inter 1 Celtic 0 (4–3 agg): Late strike finishes off battling ten-man Celtic and ends their Europa League run", "Van Dijk and Paton cleared to play in League Cup final", "Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3–2 Celtic", "The SPFL dream team: PFA Scotland announce their teams of the year", "Celtic's Van Dijk & Johansen join Rooney & Stewart in award mix", "Stefan Johansen: Celtic midfielder named Scottish PFA player of the year", "Virgil van Dijk: Celtic defender considers future after defeat", "Saints complete deadline-day deal for van Dijk", "Virgil van Dijk: Southampton sign Celtic defender for £13m", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2015/2016", "Virgil van Dijk: Dutch defender signs new six-year deal at Southampton", "Southampton's Virgil van Dijk out for at least two months with ankle injury", "Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool apologise & end interest in Southampton defender", "Virgil van Dijk: Southampton defender keen on Liverpool move", "Virgin van Dijk: Southampton to report Liverpool over approach", "Virgil van Dijk: Southampton defender hands in transfer request", "Virgil van Dijk left out of Southampton squad as Mauricio Pellegrino refuses to draw on Manchester City interest", "Liverpool agree deal to sign Virgil van Dijk", "Virgil van Dijk transfer would land Celtic bumper windfall", "How Virgil van Dijk keeps on creating Liverpool history – and the remarkable numbers behind derby triumph", "Van Dijk has made me a better player, says Liverpool's Lovren", "Virgil van Dijk brings calm and collective spirit to Liverpool's defence", "How dominant Virgil van Dijk has redefined Liverpool's defence", "UEFA Champions League – Real Madrid-Liverpool", "Crystal Palace 0–2 Liverpool: James Milner and Sadio Mane score as Reds move to six points", "Crystal Palace 0–2 Liverpool: James Milner and Sadio Mane see off 10-man Eagles", "Virgil van Dijk named Standard Chartered Player of the Month", "Van Dijk gets 'assist' despite ball hitting crossbar TWICE", "Van Dijk wins PFA Player of the Month award", "Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk put Wolves in their place", "Liverpool scoop double Manager and Player of the Month awards for December", "Virgil van Dijk does something no Liverpool player has managed for 12 years", "PFA Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk and Raheem Sterling lead the way in six-man shortlist", "Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA player of the year awards", "Liverpool beat Tottenham to win sixth European Cup", "Van Dijk to take on Messi and Ronaldo again for FIFA player of the year", "Final Ranking the best FIFA Football awards", "Voting breakdown in the best Fifa Men's player 2019", "Rapinoe calls for change as she wins big alongside Messi and Klopp", "Seven Liverpool players up for Ballon d'Or as Reds dominate the shortlist", "Megan Rapinoe, Lionel Messi win Ballon d'Or awards", "Firmino writes Liverpool into Club World Cup history", "Firmino winner seals Club World Cup win", "UEFA.com fans' Team of the Year 2019 revealed", "Liverpool brush Manchester United aside in breathless contest to go 16 points clear at the top of the table", "Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United: Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah goals secure win", "Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool defender needs knee surgery and faces lengthy lay-off", "Van Dijk injury: How long will Liverpool defender be out for & which games will he miss? [54][55][56] On 7 August 2017, Van Dijk handed in a transfer request to Southampton and released a statement along with it, emphasising his wish to join a different club in the transfer window. [37] Van Dijk played the full 90 minutes of the final at Hampden Park, which Celtic won 2–0. Liverpool FC. [62], He made his debut for Liverpool on 5 January in the third round of the FA Cup and scored the winning goal with a late header in a 2–1 victory against local rivals Everton. Van Dijk later revealed that he had been close to dying as a result of the medical emergency and that the hospital had even gone so far as to ask him to sign a "sort of will" in the event of his passing. He was an outstanding presence at the heart of the defence as the Reds eliminated Bayern Munich – against whom he scored in a crucial second-leg win in Germany – as well as FC Porto and FC Barcelona on the road to a second successive Champions League final. [50], On 22 January 2017, he was named team captain of Southampton, after the departure of José Fonte. Virgil van Dijk (Dutch pronunciation: [vɑn ˈdɛik]; born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Netherlands national team. [9] With Liverpool, Van Dijk reached back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter. [103] On 13 October, he scored in a 3–0 win over 2014 World Cup champions Germany in the UEFA Nations League. [110], In a 2019 interview with Marca, when Lionel Messi was asked why Van Dijk was so difficult to beat, the Argentine responded: "He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey [the attacker]. [99], Van Dijk made his full international debut for Netherlands on 10 October 2015, in a 2–1 victory away from home against Kazakhstan in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier. [citation needed] According to some sources in China, Van Dijk has Chinese heritage, Hellen Fo Sieeuw, his mother, is of part-Chinese descent, the Chinese surname 'Fo Sieeuw' derives from the surname of his maternal great-grandfather, Chin Fo Sieeuw, who emigrated from Guangdong to Suriname around 1920. Virgil van Dijk, 29, from Netherlands Liverpool FC, since 2017 Centre-Back Market value: €70.00m * Jul 8, 1991 in Breda, Netherlands [22] After a solo run, he scored the only goal of a victory over St Johnstone on 26 December. [33], Van Dijk was again on target on 21 January 2015, opening a 4–0 home win over Motherwell. He was good on set-pieces, some of the free-kicks he scored for Celtic are absolute wonders. [69] Van Dijk played 22 games in all competitions in his first season with the club, scoring once. [106] In 2018, Steve Douglas of The Globe and Mail described Van Dijk with the following words: "Powerful in the air, measured with the ball at his feet, quick, and with superb positional sense, van Dijk [sic] has it all. Virgil van Dijk. Virgil van Dijk required knee surgery in October following a challenge from Jordan Pickford (Getty) ‘What makes it dangerous is that a knee can … [78] The following month, he scored once - his first goal in the Champions League for the club - and assisted another in a 3–1 win over Bayern Munich. [102] On 26 March, he scored his first international goal to conclude a 3–0 win over European champions Portugal at the Stade de Genève. View stats of Liverpool Defender Virgil van Dijk, including goals scored, assists and appearances, on the official website of the Premier League. FPL Show Ep 43: State of play - Defenders © Copyright 2021 The Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited. Netherlands boss Frank de Boer has hinted he wants Virgil van Dijk back fit for the tournament. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, he is known for his strength, leadership and aerial ability. A season-ending ACL injury suffered by Virgil van Dijk meant Jurgen Klopp quickly turned to Fabinho as cover. At the end of the campaign, and with Van Dijk having "outgrown" the club, he was offered to a number of bigger Eredivisie clubs, including Ajax, all of which elected not to sign him. [45], On 1 September 2015, Van Dijk signed a five-year contract with Premier League club Southampton, managed by Ronald Koeman, for a reported £13 million transfer fee. [40] Three days later, again from a free kick, he confirmed a 2–1 win away to Dundee. "[108], Neil McGuinness, senior scout at Celtic when Van Dijk was signed, called him "everything you would want if you could create a profile of the ideal central defender", praising him as a "very smooth ball-playing defender" who possesses aerial prowess, skills from dead ball situations, and "strong leadership qualities", while commenting that since his move to England, he is "more tactically aware now [...] his anticipation and timing has improved and he is a lot more of an all-rounder". Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the finest defenders in world football since joining Liverpool in January 2018. Van Dijk was born in Breda to a Dutch father and a Surinamese mother. UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament: This page was last edited on 30 March 2021, at 11:15. [66][67][68], Van Dijk was included in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season, despite playing just half of the season in the Champions League, with the UEFA Technical Observers saying: "Van Dijk arrived at Anfield and provided composure and stability in the competition's knockout stages." The historic season also saw the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup added to the trophy cabinet – the latter for the very first time. [10] Growing up he would play football wherever he could – on the streets, in concrete cages, and eventually Saturday morning matches. Van Dijk, 29, has been one of the most transformative signings of the modern era, clocking up 130 appearances … [11][12][13] He combined his time playing at the Willem II academy with a part-time job as a dishwasher. [29], On 22 July 2014, Van Dijk and Teemu Pukki each scored twice in a 4–0 home win over KR in a UEFA Champions League qualifier, putting their team into the next round 5–0 on aggregate. Virgil Van Dijk se inició en la cantera del Willem II hasta que, en 2010, fue traspasado al Groningen. [96], On 17 October, he was substituted in the sixth minute of the Merseyside derby after a challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. [39], On 19 April, Celtic contested the Cup semi-final against Inverness at Hampden, and Van Dijk opened the scoring with a free kick. Nila, born in 2014,[116] and Jadi, born in 2016. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes it is "unlikely" Virgil van Dijk or Joe Gomez will feature at Euro 2020 this year. [79], On 20 April, he was one of six players nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award alongside teammate Sadio Mané. Jota shows why Liverpool and Wolves have both missed his unique talent. This summer’s Euros are edging ever closer. "[109] Dario Pergolizzi also described Van Dijk as a good marker in 2019. And there was redemption in the showpiece as Van Dijk and co bounced back from their defeat by Real Madrid a year earlier to see off Spurs 2-0 and lift the trophy at Estadio Metropolitano. [19] He made his debut on 17 August, replacing Efe Ambrose for the final 13 minutes of a 2–0 Scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium. The national coach insisted that the centre back is just eight weeks away from fitness and could potentially be included in the squad. [17][18] He suffered a personal setback during the campaign, however, as soon after his 20th birthday he was admitted to hospital with peritonitis and kidney poisoning. The powerful Netherlands international, who combines a graceful reading of the game with a dominant physical skillset, has helped the Reds lift four major trophies to date. Virgil van Dijk was sensational at Southampton. [5] Groningen. [64] In doing so, he became the first player since Bill White in 1901 to score on his debut in the Merseyside derby. [85][86][87] In October 2019, Van Dijk was shortlisted as one in 30 football players for the Ballon d'Or. He had an aura about him, a confidence, because I think he knew he was good. He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height. A year later, Van Dijk captained the Netherlands to the final of the inaugural UEFA Nations League, where they finished runners-up. [14][15] Despite the positional shift and Van Dijk's physical growth, Willem II's reserve manager at the time Edwin Hermans believed he had "too many limitations" which prevented him from breaking into the first team. He played every single minute of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign as Liverpool gloriously and emphatically ended their wait for the title with a club-record 99 points. Match Statistics supplied by Opta Sports Data Limited. Developed and maintained by the LFC Technology and Transformation Team. [75] On 21 December, Van Dijk scored his first goal in the Premier League for Liverpool in a 2–0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In doing so, he became the first player since Craig Bellamy in 2007 to score and assist a goal for Liverpool in a knock-out stage match away from home in the competition. [31] Three weeks later, Van Dijk scored the first and last goals of Celtic's 4–0 win versus Heart of Midlothian in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. ", "Soccer – Portugal suffer first-half collapse in 3–0 loss to Dutch", "Netherlands 3–0 Germany: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum score for hosts", Hoe een simpel briefje de avond van Oranje redde, "Virgil van Dijk 'can be a great' as Liverpool agree to pay £75m for defender", "Watch: Virgil van Dijk burns 'Premier League's faster player' in a sprint", "Man U face Virgil Van Dijk, the type of defender they desperately lack, in key Liverpool match", "Messi: The body rules and I have to take more care of myself than before", "Virgil van Dijk to be EA SPORTS' FIFA 20 Champions Edition cover star", "Nike gains a step on Adidas in competition for top football stars", "Here Is Why Virgil van Dijk Only Uses His First Name On Kit", "Hellen Fo Sieeuw - Meet Mother of Virgil Van Dijk | Verge Wiki", "Virgil van Dijk is eligible to play for this Asia country!- Asia United", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2013/2014", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2014/2015", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2016/2017", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2017/2018", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2018/2019", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2019/2020", "Games played by Virgil van Dijk in 2020/2021", "Portugal vs. Netherlands 0–3: Summary", "PFA Team of the Year: Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling and Sadio Mane included in side", "PFA Player of the Year: Kevin de Bruyne and Beth England named 2020 winners", "UEFA.com fans' Team of the Year 2018 revealed", "UEFA.com Fans' Teams of the Year 2020 announced", "UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season", "UEFA Nations League Finals: Team of the Tournament", "Revealed: The LFC Players' Awards 2019 winners", "Van Dijk the big winner at Saints' Player Awards", "Virgil van Dijk and Megan Rapinoe win Goal 50 best player awards", "World 11: FIFA FIFPro Men's World11 - Winner", "Lucy Bronze and Robert Lewandowski are The Best of 2020", "The FIFA FIFPRO Men's World 11 of 2019-2020 - FIFPRO World Players' Union", "IFFHS AWARDS 2019 – THE IFFHS MEN WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR 2019", "IFFHS (International Federation of Football for History & Statistics", "Reus, Kimmich und ter Stegen im ESM-Team der Saison", "ESM reveal Team of the Year for 2019/20", "Virgil Van Dijk named Football Supporters' Association men's player of the year", "Ranking of the Ballon d'Or France Football 2019: Virgil van Dijk is 2nd", 2013–14 PFA Scotland Scottish Premiership Team of the Year, 2014–15 PFA Scotland Scottish Premiership Team of the Year, 2018–19 Premier League PFA Team of the Year, 2019–20 Premier League PFA Team of the Year, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virgil_van_Dijk&oldid=1015048793, Scottish Professional Football League players, Netherlands youth international footballers, Netherlands under-21 international footballers, Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Scotland, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2021, Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:27, 17 October 2020 (UTC). Honours: Premier League (2020), Champions League (2019), UEFA Super Cup (2019), FIFA Club World Cup (2019). Netherlands national team manager Frank de Boer has claimed that Virgil van Dijk has eight weeks left in his recovery from a long-term injury.. Van Dijk was on the end of a heavy challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in last October’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. Liverpool FC. [113] He is endorsed by sportswear company Nike. [89] On 21 December 2019, after missing the semi-final of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup with illness, Van Dijk played in the final against Flamengo with Liverpool winning the trophy for the first time in the club’s history. [38] On 18 March, Celtic's third consecutive match against Dundee United, Van Dijk scored in the last minute to confirm a 4–0 win in a Cup replay. The No.4 had previously been a key figure as the Reds clinched a sixth European Cup at the conclusion of his first full season with the club. [76] The Dutchman continued his impressive form in the 2018–19 season by winning the Premier League Player of the Month prize for December 2018. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, he is known … Virgil van Dijk (* 8.Juli 1991 in Breda, Niederlande) ist ein niederländischer Fußballspieler.Der Abwehrspieler wird in der Innenverteidigung eingesetzt und steht seit Januar 2018 beim FC Liverpool in der Premier League unter Vertrag.. Mit Celtic Glasgow gewann er zweimal die Schottische Fußballmeisterschaft (2014, 2015) sowie den Schottischen Ligapokal (). Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the finest defenders in world football since joining Liverpool in January 2018. [15] He made his professional debut for the club on 1 May 2011, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Petter Andersson during a 4–2 victory against ADO Den Haag. [42] He was again shortlisted for the PFA Scotland Players' Player award,[43] but lost out to another teammate, this time Stefan Johansen.