Liverpool’s team included several extremely skilled players, although some of them left the club this year. Nonetheless, several others were absent because of injuries rather than transfers. Among this group of athletes was Virgil van Dijk. If you’re interested in the specifics, we’ll review them in Virgil van Dijk biography.
But now that he’s back, everything appears to be going great for him.
Virgil van Dijk is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Netherlands national football team. He is renowned for his pretty dynamic ball-playing defense abilities.
Virgil has a very interesting personal life which we will cover in Virgil van Dijk biography. Do you know what else is interesting about this player? His road to fame and world-class team Liverpool.
Virgil van Dijk Biography, narrated by Footbalium
Grab a cup of coffee and get all comfy in your chair because we are about to retell a story of passion and dedication, also known as Virgil van Dijk biography.
Virgil van Dijk’s early days
We should start Virgil van Dijk biography from the day he was born.
In Breda, Netherlands, on July 8, 1991, a football star was born named Virgil van Dijk. Virgil van Dijk real name may be hard to read or pronounce for many.
He was born to a Surinamese mother (Ruby Van Dyke) and a Dutch father (Ray Van Dyke).
If you are wondering where Suriname is located, here’s a full description of this nation: Suriname, a republic on South America’s northern coast, was first a colony of the Netherlands from 1667 until 1954, and then it became a nation within the context of the United Kingdom.
Unlike his father, the Liverpool Legend resembles his gorgeous mother so much. He seemed to have gotten a lot from his mother.
Virgil’s first youth academy was Willem II.
Contrary to popular opinion, Virgil’s career wasn’t successful right away, and he had to restart multiple times.
Chelsea’s staff considered him to be incredibly little and slow. He was then taken to the hospital because he had a serious stomach abscess.
Fortunately for him, he overcame his growth and stomach issues. After his recovery, Virgil’s physical condition developed super fast, and his skills advanced, unlike any other kid at his age. It was a miracle in his parents’ eyes. His career finally got the start it deserved all along.
From his hometown of Breda, Virgil traveled 255 kilometers to Groningen, where he received his first football call. Being deemed “overtired” by the Groningen staff made joining this team difficult. However, he was finally accepted to the team and made his squad debut as a 72-minute replacement.
Virgil van Dijk’s senior and professional career
Now the main part of the Virgil van Dijk biography starts.
Virgil van Dijk’s professional career received a huge boost with Celtic. Van Dijk went to Celtic on June 21, 2013, for an estimated £2.6 million and a four-year contract. According to Virgil, the environment at Celtic was similar to that at Liverpool. He stated:
“Celtic was 100 percent similar to Liverpool, and that is maybe one of the reasons that I picked Liverpool as well.”
Two successful years at Celtic had a significant impact on Virgil’s play and skill development. Three Celtic players, including him, were selected for the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. Kris Commons, a fellow Celtic player, defeated Van Dijk to win the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year title.
Virgil had second thoughts about continuing to play for Celtic for another season after a particular incident. Malmö of Sweden eliminated Celtic from the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League in the qualification rounds, which was the turning point for Virgil’s faith in the team and his future at the club.
For this reason, he didn’t think twice about accepting Southampton’s offer of a five-year contract in exchange for a £13 million transfer fee.
He spent three seasons with the team before being completely cut from the squad in 2017–18 due to an injury that led the coaching staff to worry about Virgil’s potential impact on the team’s performance.
Liverpool
Van Dijk signed for Liverpool when the winter transfer window opened on January 1, 2018. It was one of Liverpool’s best investments in history, as it turned out. Since then, he has been a member of the Liverpool team, and most recently, Virgil van Dijk extended his contract with the club until the 2025 summer season.
This implies that this player would continue to play for the Reds for a few more seasons. The 31-year-old is also injury prone. So he should take extra measures to prevent getting hurt, or he could see himself sitting on the bench for another season.
He most recently suffered a hamstring injury while playing in a league game.
After, Van Dijk visited a professional to determine the severity of the wound. Subsequently, Klopp announced that the 31-year-old would miss the remainder of January and had to spend a full month recovering.
Van Dijk is unquestionably one of the finest defenders in the world when he is at his peak. But the 31-year-old hasn’t always performed at that level in the first half of 2022–23. He even acknowledged: “I know I could have done better at the beginning of the season.”
Virgil and the Netherlands trials
World Cup doesn’t find its way into Virgil van Dijk biography until 2022! This is a very shocking fact, but there are a few reasons behind it.
On October 10, 2015, Van Dijk made his full international debut for the Netherlands in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match. Manager Ronald Koeman gave him the honor of leading his nation in 2018, and he has served in that position ever since.
After declining to play for the Netherlands at the UEFA Euro 2020 in order to properly recover from a long-term injury, the Liverpool legend had the chance to do so for the first time at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Van Dijk had to wait until he was 31 to ultimately reach what many people believe to be the apex of world football because he had to endure a great deal of bad luck during his international career.
Before the 2022 World Cup, he last competed for his country in the UEFA Nations League.
What makes Virgil van Dijk unique?
There are a few reasons why many call Virgil van Dijk the best defender of the world. One of these is obviously Virgil van Dijk stats, but the other points are:
- Physical strength
- Passing
- Awareness
- Pace
Virgil van Dijk is perfectly shaped to match the model of “physical toughness” that the Premier League has to offer, standing at 6 feet 4 inches and having a very strong physique. The 31-year-old is a towering figure among the league’s players and is never afraid to use all of his body to defend his goal.
He has a significant edge over his opponents due to his height and power, and the center-back has an impressive winning percentage in aerial duels.
His passing ability is enhanced by his game awareness. He rarely clears the ball into the opponent’s half, unlike other defenders. Van Dijk frequently tries to develop a play while intercepting a mass or under pressure, which aids the team in keeping possession of the ball.
Van Dijk is a force to be reckoned with because of his incredible speed and strength. Due to their slowness, most defenders are frequently passed by opposing forwards, but the Dutch defender is one of the few who can pursue even the fastest attackers. Van Dijk has demonstrated his ability to keep up with quick forwards like Adama Traore, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar on several occasions.
Due to his speed, Van Dijk provides a variety of defensive covers. Liverpool frequently uses both fullbacks in their attacks, which exposes the defense to a quick counterattack via a single long ball. He is a crucial component in Klopp’s setup because of his ability to read the play and quickly cover the open territory.
Virgil van Dijk’s romantic life and his child
How is the Virgil van Dijk life story going? Does he have a significant other? Let’s answer this question now.
Virgil chose a woman for a long-term relationship based on her perceived propensity for faithfulness as well as her willingness to support him under any circumstances.
Virgil has been dating Rike since he was a youngster, and the two are the same age.
During his time in Willem II, Rike has been the one who has assisted Virgil in adjusting to a new life.
Virgil van Dijk’s GF has received praise for resigning from her high-profile position in order to move to Scotland and Britain with her true love.
A few years ago, while on their exotic vacation, Virgil made his romantic partner known to the world.
2014 saw the birth of the couple’s first child, a daughter that Virgil adores the most.
Back then, Van Dijk finally received the invitation to the Netherlands national football team he had wished for, but Rike’s pregnancy was due in September 2014.
The defender was still concerned about missing his daughter’s birth. Virgil set up his girlfriend’s premature delivery of their daughter.
After making the poor decision, chaos caught up with him. Guus Hiddink did not choose him for the supposedly expected match.
Virgil’s fortune and how he spends it
Even if you took away football from Virgil’s life, he would still be a millionaire because of endorsements and brand partnerships. What does he do with all of this cash? In this section of Virgil van Dijk biography, we will explain.
The former Celtics player’s brand worth has increased significantly over time as a result of his earnings and his continued dominance in the football world. He has received a lot of media attention thanks to his steady performances, and companies are trying to capitalize on his celebrity.
The 31-year-old is posting trendy images to his social media account with a powerful presence. He was named the global ambassador of the TCP group in addition to sponsoring the men’s clothing line from Dolce & Gabbana and the athletic wear line from Nike. He is the spokesperson for EA Sports’ FIFA 2020.
The Reds defender hasn’t lost touch with his roots despite his stardom and reported net worth of €80 million. As previously said, he comes from a poor family and experienced difficulties as a child; because of this, he has been actively involved in charitable activities. He represents an orphanage in Nepal along with his wife, who is passionate about helping people.
In addition, they worked with the Owen McVeigh Foundation. He prefers to maintain a low profile when it comes to his charitable efforts, but it was evident when he welcomed 120 kids from a Merseyside charity to his hospitality box at Anfield for the match against Crystal Palace in January 2019.
Virgil van Dijk’s honors and achievements
Let us review the list of this defender’s honors in this last section of Virgil van Dijk biography.
Virgil’s trophies started rolling in when he was in Celtic. He won 3 trophies with the club. These trophies were the Scottish Premiership for 2013–14, 2014–15, and Scottish League Cup for 2014–15.
Unfortunately, he did not win any awards with the Premier League team, Southampton, but this league made it up to Virgil with Liverpool.
In Liverpool, Virgil lifted all of the trophies there were to lift! The list of honors Virgil while he was in Liverpool goes as:
The Premier League title for 2019-20, FA Cup 2021-22, EFL Cup 2021-22, FA Community shield for 2022, FIFA Club World Cup 2019, and finally, the icing on the cake UEFA Champions League: 2018–19.
The defender of our story of Virgil van Dijk biography still hasn’t achieved anything serious with his national team, but maybe that is soon to be changed.
For individual trophies, 31-year old has a long list of achievements, and there is not enough space in this article for Virgil van Dijk biography, so we will only mention some of his most important achievements.
We will start his accomplishment list with PFA Players’ Player of the Year for 2018-19. He also won the Premier League Player of the 2018–19 Season, UEFA Team of the Year for 2018, 2019, and 2020, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award: 2018–19, and IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade: 2011–2020.
He still has many years to play, and we sincerely hope that he will achieve much more and add a couple of more titles to his list of achievements.
This was everything to know about Virgil van Dijk, and we sincerely hope to see more from this player in the seasons ahead.
