Virgil van Dijk is certainly one of the strongest defenders that the world of football has seen in the last 20 years. Listing the aspects in which he excels is incredibly simple: heading, setting up, preventive readings and much more. The Dutchman is one of the few capable of making his teammates perform at their best thanks to his charisma and his being a leader at all times of the game. Practically perfect. However, the class of ’91 did not blossom very early: his experiences at Groningen and to the Celtic they are not exciting, but the music changes when in January 2016 he switches to Southampton.
In the Premier League he improves year after year, until he convinces the Liverpool in January 2018 to pay 84 million euros to buy him. He thus became the most expensive signing in the club’s history, as well as the fourth most expensive defender ever after Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Josko Gvardiol. Needless to say, from that moment on the pressure on him was sky-high, but the centre-back had no difficulty in establishing himself at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp. The 2018-2019 season is certainly the most iconic he has played. Fundamental in the Reds’ conquest of the Champions League, he is unbeatable and ranks second in the Ballon d’Or, behind only Lionel Messi. Many still argue today that he deserved the award and this says a lot about how impactful he was, given that he is the defender who came closest to receiving this recognition after Fabio Cannavaro’s feat in 2006.
In his career he has been Scottish champion twice, English champion once and has won a Scottish Cup, an FA Cup, 2 Carabao Cups, a Community Shield, a European Super Cup, a Champions League and a Club World Cup. He also boasts the “title” of best footballer of the year 2019, awarded by UEFA. Finally, he has collected 74 appearances with Holland and 9 goals and dreams of the European Championship, an event that he is playing these days in Germany with his national team, led as captain until the semi-final. Today Virgil van Dijk turns 33.