Liverpool center-back Virgil van Dijk put up a brilliant performance against Belgium on Friday, 25 September, to seal UEFA Nations League finals slot for the Netherlands. Van Dijk scored in the 74th minute after a heated and tense clash that nearly ended in a barren draw.
It was a battle of the titans as the Netherlands took on Belgium’s golden generation in the UEFA Nations League matchday six fixture.
Virgil van Dijk brought his class once again to bear in the match. With 62 touches in the game, the highly-rated Premier League and Liverpool center-back won all his duels, made three recoveries, and his only shot in the game was a tie-breaker.
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk, born and raised on 8 July 1991, is a 31-year-old center-back who plays for the Netherlands national team and Premier League club, Liverpool.
Van Dijk started his football career in 2009, playing for the Willem youth team. He later joined the Groningen youth team in 2010, playing for a year before a subsequent transition to Groningen senior team in 2011.
Making his first debut in 2011 for Groningen’s senior team, Virgil van made 62 appearances for the team, scoring two goals in his two years spell with the club.
Van Dijk moved to Scotland for his next stop in senior career club football. He joined Scottish giants Celtic in 2013 and played for two years for the club, making 76 appearances and scoring nine goals.
After two years with Celtic, van Dijk joined Premier League side Southampton in 2015 and made 64 appearances, scoring four goals in his three years spell with the club.
Southampton reach an agreement with Liverpool to transfer Virgil van Dijk to the Merseyside club on 27 December 2017.
The deal was estimated to be valued at £75m, making the Dutch one of the most expensive defenders in the Premier League.
Virgil van Dink made his Liverpool debut in the FA Cup on January 5, 2018, and scored a winning header to help Liverpool defeat derby rival Everton 2-1.
Van Dijk has played for the Netherlands U-19 and U-21 between 2011 and 2013, making 4 appearances. He was first called up for the national team in 2015.
He made his national debut on October 10, 2015, helping the Dutch National team to a 2-1 away win over Kazakhstan in Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Since then, Virgil van Dijk has been capped 49 times for the Netherlands and has scored 6 goals.
Style of Play
Virgil van Dijk is known for his physicality and strength. He plays as a center and can also function as a right-back. Virgil van Dijk is great at joining set pieces and keeping an eye on attacking and hitting the best while taking complete cognizance of his defensive role.
Van Dijk is also an excellent free-kick taker and has scored wonder-free kicks while at Celtic. For now, he has been tipped as the best defender in the Premier League, with the likes of Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Romero of Tottenham, including former Manchester City defender tipping the 31-year-old as the best defender.
Honors and Awards
Virgil van Dijk has won the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup with Celtic.
He has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Super Cup, and Community Shield with Liverpool.
He had won the Premier League Player of the Month, the Premier League Player of the Year, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, UEFA defender of the Season, Liverpool’s Players and Fans Player of the Year, and several other awards.
Virgil van Dijk Wife
Virgil van Dink is married to Rike Nooitgedagt, a fashion industry expert. They are now to have dated from childhood before finally marrying each other.
