van Dijk, not Dijk. In this dutch name, the surname is, not Virgil van Dijk ( bear 8 July 1991 ) is a dutch professional football player who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the global, [ 4 ] Van Dijk is known for his intensity, leadership and antenna ability. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] He is the only defender to win UEFA Men ‘s Player of the Year, and has finished runner-up for the Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Men ‘s Player. [ 8 ] [ 9 ]
Reading: Virgil van Dijk
After beginning his professional career with Groningen, Van Dijk moved to Celtic in 2013, where he won the scots Premiership and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the year in both of his seasons with the clubhouse, besides winning the Scottish League Cup in the latter. In 2015, he joined Southampton before signing for Liverpool in January 2018 for £75 million, a then- world-record transplant fee for a defender. [ 10 ] With Liverpool, Van Dijk reached back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter. He was besides named PFA Players ‘ Player of the year and the Premier League Player of the Season in his first entire temper. Van Dijk late won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, and helped end the cabaret ‘s 30-year league title drought by winning the 2019–20 Premier League. Van Dijk is a early young international for the Netherlands, representing his nation at under-19 and under-21 levels. He made his senior international debut for the Netherlands in 2015 and assumed full captainship of the national team in March 2018. The follow year, Van Dijk captained the Netherlands to the final of the inaugural address UEFA Nations League, where they finished runner-up .
early life [edit ]
Van Dijk was born in Breda to a dutch beget and a Surinamese beget. [ 11 ] Growing up he would play football wherever he could – on the streets, in concrete cages, and finally Saturday morning matches. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] He combined his time acting at the Willem II academy with a part-time job as a dishwasher. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Having previously and unsuccessfully featured as a right-back, Van Dijk was shifted into a central defensive place in 2008, aged 17, after he grew in altitude by around 18 centimetres. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Despite the positional chemise and Van Dijk ‘s physical growth, Willem II ‘s reserve director at the time Edwin Hermans believed he had “ excessively many limitations ” which prevented him from breaking into the beginning team. [ 16 ] In 2010, he was scouted by former Dutch external Martin Koeman, who was working for FC Groningen at the time, and he ended up completing a free transfer to the club in the like class. [ 15 ] [ 16 ]
Club career [edit ]
Groningen [edit ]
Van Dijk initially struggled to break into Groningen ‘s beginning team with golf club staff believing he was “ overtired ” after extensive play fourth dimension with Willem II ‘s academy and reservation sides. [ 16 ] He made his professional debut for the golf club on 1 May 2011, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Petter Andersson during a 4–2 victory against ADO Den Haag. [ 17 ] On 29 May, and against the like opposition, he made his foremost start for Groningen and scored his first professional goals, netting doubly in a 5–1 succeed in a UEFA Europa League play-off match. [ 16 ] During the 2011–12 Eredivisie season, Van Dijk made 23 league appearances for the Eredivisie team, and scored his beginning regular-season goal during the club ‘s 6–0 victory over Feyenoord on 30 October 2011. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] He suffered a personal reverse during the campaign, however, as soon after his twentieth birthday he was admitted to hospital with peritonitis and kidney poison. Van Dijk subsequently revealed that he had been conclude to dying as a leave of the medical hand brake and that the hospital had tied gone sol far as to ask him to sign a “ classify of will “ in the event of his passing. [ 16 ] He did, however, return to Groningen and continued to impress the follow season. At the end of the campaign, and with Van Dijk having “ outgrow ” the club, he was offered to a count of bigger Eredivisie clubs, including Ajax, all of which elected not to sign him. [ 16 ]
celtic [edit ]
2013–14 season [edit ]
On 21 June 2013, Van Dijk signed with Celtic for a tip of around £2.6 million, on a four-year share including a 10 % selling-on fee for Groningen. [ 20 ] He made his introduction on 17 August, replacing Efe Ambrose for the final 13 minutes of a 2–0 scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium. [ 21 ] A week belated, he made his first starting signal, in a 2–2 puff with Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Celtic Park. [ 22 ] On 9 November, Van Dijk scored his first gear celtic goals, heading one in each half of a 4–1 gain against Ross County. [ 23 ] After a solo run, he scored the only finish of a victory over St Johnstone on 26 December. [ 24 ] Van Dijk scored again on 26 January 2014, in a 4–0 win versus Hibernian for Celtic ‘s 11th back-to-back league win. [ 25 ] On 25 February, he was sent off after 13 minutes of an eventual 2–1 loss at Aberdeen, for a master foul on Peter Pawlett ; it was Celtic ‘s first frustration of the season. [ 26 ] With Celtic having already won the league, Van Dijk netted again on 7 May to put his team 3–1 improving away to St Johnstone, in an eventual 3–3 pull back. [ 27 ] He was one of three celtic players named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. [ 28 ] Van Dijk was nominated for the PFA Scotland Players ‘ Player of the Year award, [ 29 ] but lost out to fellow Celtic player Kris Commons. [ 30 ]
2014–15 season [edit ]
Van Dijk playing for Celtic in 2015 On 22 July 2014, Van Dijk and Teemu Pukki each scored doubly in a 4–0 home plate win over KR in a UEFA Champions League qualifier, putting their team into the next round 5–0 on aggregate. [ 31 ] His first goal of the Premiership season came on 9 November, finishing from Stefan Johansen ‘s last-minute corner for a 2–1 winnings at Aberdeen. [ 32 ] Three weeks belated, Van Dijk scored the beginning and end goals of Celtic ‘s 4–0 gain versus Heart of Midlothian in the fourthly round of the scottish Cup. [ 33 ] Four days after that, his sixth goal of the season was enough for victory in a home match against Glasgow neighbours Partick Thistle. [ 34 ] Van Dijk was again on aim on 21 January 2015, opening a 4–0 home acquire over Motherwell. [ 35 ] On 26 February, he was sent off in the 36th minute against Inter Milan for a disgusting on Mauro Icardi, as Celtic lost 1–0 on the night, 4–3 on aggregate in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League. [ 36 ] He was again sent off on 8 March in the Cup quarter-final away to Dundee United at Tannadice Park, receiving a bolshevik poster after eleven minutes for a confrontation with Calum Butcher. [ 37 ] His suspension for the following week ‘s Scottish League Cup Final was overturned on appeal, as was that of Paul Paton, who was sent off when false for Butcher. [ 38 ] Van Dijk played the wide 90 minutes of the concluding at Hampden Park, which Celtic won 2–0. [ 39 ] On 18 March, Celtic ‘s third base straight match against Dundee United, Van Dijk scored in the last infinitesimal to confirm a 4–0 acquire in a Cup replay. [ 40 ] On 19 April, Celtic contested the Cup semi-final against Inverness at Hampden, and Van Dijk opened the scoring with a release kick back. After the judgment of dismissal of goalkeeper Craig Gordon, Celtic fell 3–2, ending their opportunity of a double. [ 41 ] Three days late, again from a complimentary kick, he confirmed a 2–1 succeed away to Dundee. [ 42 ] His team again won the league, and Van Dijk was included in the league ‘s team of the Season for the second back-to-back campaign. [ 43 ] He was again shortlisted for the PFA Scotland Players ‘ Player award, [ 44 ] but lost out to another teammate, this fourth dimension Stefan Johansen. [ 45 ] Van Dijk was reportedly “ considering his future ” in Glasgow after Celtic were knocked out of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League in the qualifying rounds to Malmö of Sweden. [ 46 ]
Southampton [edit ]
2015–16 season [edit ]
On 1 September 2015, Van Dijk signed a five-year contract with Premier League golf club Southampton, managed by Ronald Koeman, for a reported £13 million transplant tip. [ 47 ] [ 48 ] He made his debut for Southampton on 12 September in a 0–0 draw against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. [ 49 ] Two weeks by and by, Van Dijk marked his third gear Premier League appearance with his inaugural goal for the club, which came in the form of a header in the 11th infinitesimal to put Southampton in battlefront, following a set-piece from James Ward-Prowse in a 3–1 family winnings over Swansea City. [ 50 ] On 7 May 2016, Van Dijk signed a new six-year abridge with the Saints. [ 51 ]
2016–17 season [edit ]
On 22 January 2017, he was named team captain of Southampton, after the deviation of José Fonte. [ 52 ] On the same day, he suffered an ankle injury against Leicester City. [ 53 ] This ruled him out of the 2017 EFL Cup Final, which Southampton lost to Manchester United at Wembley Stadium. [ 54 ] After a successful 2016–17 season at Southampton, Van Dijk was subject to matter to from Liverpool, who apologised to Southampton for an illegal overture for the player after having reportedly made clear his interest in a move to Liverpool. [ 55 ] [ 56 ] [ 57 ] On 7 August 2017, Van Dijk handed in a transfer request to Southampton and released a argument along with it, emphasising his wish to join a different golf club in the transportation window. [ 58 ]
2017–18 season [edit ]
Van Dijk remained with Southampton for the begin 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. [ 59 ] He made what turned out to be his final examination appearance for Southampton on 13 December 2017, in a 4–1 home plate get the better of to Leicester. [ 60 ] It was besides his last appearance in any of Southampton ‘s matchday squads, as he was omitted from the team for the rest of his tenure at the club in light of meditation surrounding his future. [ 61 ]
liverpool [edit ]
2017–18 season [edit ]
Van Dijk with Liverpool in 2018 On 27 December 2017, it was announced that Van Dijk would join Liverpool when the winter transfer window opened on 1 January 2018 [ 62 ] [ 63 ] for a report fee of £75 million. [ 10 ] Former club Celtic would receive 10 % of Van Dijk ‘s transfer tip, ascribable to a sell-on article placed in his Southampton contract. [ 10 ] [ 64 ] Southampton claimed the undisclosed transfer fee would constitute a worldly concern record tip in football for a defender. [ 63 ]
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He made his debut for Liverpool on 5 January in the third gear round of the FA Cup and scored the winning goal with a late heading in a 2–1 victory against local rivals Everton. [ 65 ] In doing sol, he became the first actor since Bill White in 1901 to score on his debut in the Merseyside bowler hat. [ 66 ] Van Dijk and Dejan Lovren built a potent partnership at the heart of Liverpool ‘s defense, with the Dutchman being credited for improving Liverpool ‘s previous defensive issues. [ 67 ] [ 68 ] [ 69 ] 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. ” Van Dijk played the broad 90 minutes in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final against Real Madrid, which Liverpool lost 1–3. [ 70 ] Van Dijk played 22 games in all competitions in his beginning season with the club, scoring once. [ 71 ]
2018–19 season [edit ]
On 20 August 2018, Van Dijk was voted man of the match by BBC Sport and Sky Sports for his performance in a 2–0 gain over Crystal Palace. [ 72 ] [ 73 ] Van Dijk received the Liverpool Player of the Month award for his performances in August. [ 74 ] On 2 December, Van Dijk was awarded an assist for the winning goal in a bowler hat catch against city rivals Everton. Liverpool won 1–0 thanks to Divock Origi ‘s 96th-minute goal, set up by a Van Dijk fusillade and a subsequent error from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. [ 75 ] The Dutchman was ultimately awarded the PFA Player of the Month for November 2018. [ 76 ] On 21 December, Van Dijk scored his foremost goal in the Premier League for Liverpool in a 2–0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. [ 77 ] The Dutchman continued his impressive form in the 2018–19 season by winning the Premier League Player of the Month prize for December 2018. [ 78 ] On 27 February 2019, Van Dijk scored doubly in a 5–0 gain against Watford. [ 79 ] The following month, he scored once – his first base goal in the Champions League for the club – and assisted another in a 3–1 acquire over Bayern Munich. 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. [ 80 ] On 20 April, he was one of six players nominated for the PFA Players ‘ Player of the Year award aboard teammate Sadio Mané. [ 81 ] Four days late, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year aboard Liverpool teammates, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mané and Andrew Robertson. [ 82 ] On 28 April 2019, he was named the PFA Players ‘ Player of the Year. [ 83 ] Following Liverpool ‘s 2–0 victory over Tottenham in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final on 1 June, Van Dijk was named UEFA ‘s man of the couple. [ 84 ]
2019–20 temper [edit ]
In August 2019, Van Dijk won UEFA player of the year award. On 2 September 2019, he was shortlisted in the concluding three of the best FIFA football awards. [ 85 ] On 23 September 2019, he was voted base runner up in The Best FIFA Men ‘s Player and into the FIFA FIFpro Men ‘s World 11. [ 86 ] [ 87 ] [ 88 ] In October 2019, Van Dijk was shortlisted as one in 30 football players for the Ballon d’Or. [ 89 ] At the event in December, he finished runner-up behind Lionel Messi. [ 90 ] 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 base time in the club ’ randomness history. [ 91 ] [ 92 ] Van Dijk received further recognition following the become of the class, when he was named in the 2019 UEFA Team of the Year. [ 93 ] On 19 January 2020, Van Dijk scored his first North-West Derby goal against Manchester United in Liverpool ’ s 2–0 acquire at Anfield in the Premier League. [ 94 ] [ 95 ] Over the course of the 2019–20 domestic campaign, Van Dijk started and completed every minute for Liverpool. [ 96 ]
2020–21 season [edit ]
On 12 September 2020, Van Dijk scored a steer finish against Leeds United on the unfold day of the newfangled season. [ 97 ] On 17 October, he was substituted in the sixth minute of the Merseyside bowler hat after a challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. [ 98 ] On the following day, it was announced that he had suffered an ACL injury in his right knee and would undergo operation. [ 99 ] Van Dijk was expected to be out from six to twelve months. [ 100 ] On 30 October it was announced that the surgery on his injuries had been successful. [ 101 ] Dutch home team coach Frank de Boer had hoped that Van Dijk would be able to make his come back before the 2020 european Football Championship, [ 102 ] Van Dijk however decided that he should continue his rehabilitation so he could start the next temper amply fit. [ 103 ]
2021–22 temper [edit ]
Van Dijk made his first appearance in over nine months on 29 July 2021, coming on as a second-half ersatz in a preseason friendly against Hertha BSC. [ 104 ] On 13 August 2021, Van Dijk signed a new four-year contract, keeping him at the cabaret until 2025. [ 105 ]
International career [edit ]
Van Dijk made his full external debut for Netherlands on 10 October 2015, in a 2–1 victory away from home against Kazakhstan in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier. [ 106 ] He was awarded the captainship of his area by coach Ronald Koeman on 22 March 2018, [ 107 ] and his inaugural match as master was a 1–0 home friendly kill by England the next day. [ 108 ] On 26 March, he scored his first international finish to conclude a 3–0 acquire over european champions Portugal at the Stade de Genève. [ 109 ] On 13 October, he scored in a 3–0 acquire over 2014 World Cup champions Germany in the UEFA Nations League. [ 110 ] More importantly, he scored the equalizer in the following match with Germany, after adjunct coach Dwight Lodeweges sent him a minor wallpaper note during a break, with the request to play forward in the last minutes of the game. The finish enabled the Netherlands to win the group phase of the Nations League. [ 111 ] He subsequently captained his nation to the concluding which they lost 1–0 against Portugal. [ 112 ] In May 2021, van Dijk ruled himself out of playing in the postpone UEFA Euro 2020 to have adequate time to recover after a long-run injury since October 2020. [ 113 ]
style of play [edit ]
Van Dijk is a physically solid, right-footed centre-back, who normally features on the left-hand slope of central defense, although he can besides play as a right-sided centre-back. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 114 ] He is gifted with tempo, [ 115 ] good proficiency, and an eye for finish, and is an effective set-piece taker. Regarding his ability, former Celtic teammate Kris Commons commented that Van Dijk was “ comfortable on the ball ”, besides noting that “ He had good proficiency and a fantastic good foot. He was good on set-pieces, some of the free-kicks he scored for Celtic are absolute wonders. He could read the game well. He had an air about him, a confidence, because I think he knew he was good. ” [ 116 ] 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 politic ball-playing defender ” who possesses antenna art, 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 clock has improved and he is a distribute more of an all-rounder ”. [ 114 ] McGuinness believes Van Dijk ‘s “ biggest trouble ” is that he “ can switch off when the game is comfortable ”. [ 114 ] 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, promptly, and with brilliant positional sense, vanguard Dijk [ sic ] has it all. ” [ 117 ] Dario Pergolizzi besides described Van Dijk as a good marker in 2019. [ 118 ] In a 2019 interview with Marca, when Lionel Messi was asked why Van Dijk was then unmanageable to beat, the Argentine responded : “ He is a defender who knows how to judge his time and wait for the right field consequence to challenge or jockey [ the attacker ]. He is very fast and big, but he has a set of agility for his height. He is fast because of its [ sic ] great stride, and he is impressive both in defense and attack because he scores lots of goals. ” [ 119 ] That same class, Paul Merson described Van Dijk as “ the best in the world, and I think by a long means, as a defensive centre-half. ” [ 4 ]
Van Dijk features as the cover star of the champions edition of EA Sports ‘ FIFA television game FIFA 20. [ 120 ] He is endorsed by sportswear company Nike. [ 121 ]
personal life [edit ]
Van Dijk normally uses only his foremost name on the kit. According to his uncle Steven, this is because of a kin feud with his founder, Ron van Dijk, who abandoned his wife, Virgil and his siblings during childhood. [ 122 ] Virgil is married to childhood sweetheart, Rike Nooitgedagt, and they have two daughters : Nila, born in 2014, [ 123 ] and Jadi, born in 2016. [ citation needed ] According to some sources in China, Van Dijk has chinese ancestry. Hellen Fo Sieeuw, his beget, is of part-Chinese descent. The taiwanese surname ‘Fo Sieeuw ‘ derives from the surname of his enate great-grandfather, Chin Fo Sieeuw ( 陈火秀 ), who emigrated from Guangdong to Suriname around 1920. [ 124 ]
career statistics [edit ]
club [edit ]
- As of match played 27 November 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club
Season
League
National Cup
League Cup
Europe
Other
Total
Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Groningen
2010–11[71]
Eredivisie
5
2
0
0
—
—
—
5
2
2011–12[71]
Eredivisie
23
3
1
0
—
—
—
24
3
2012–13[71]
Eredivisie
34
2
3
0
—
—
—
37
2
Total
62
7
4
0
—
—
—
66
7
Celtic
2013–14[125]
Scottish Premiership
36
5
2
0
1
0
8[a]
0
—
47
5
2014–15[126]
Scottish Premiership
35
4
5
4
4
0
14[b]
2
—
58
10
2015–16[49]
Scottish Premiership
5
0
—
—
5[a]
0
—
10
0
Total
76
9
7
4
5
0
27
2
—
115
15
Southampton
2015–16[49]
Premier League
34
3
1
0
3
0
—
—
38
3
2016–17[127]
Premier League
21
1
1
1
2
0
6[c]
2
—
30
4
2017–18[128]
Premier League
12
0
—
0
0
—
—
12
0
Total
67
4
2
1
5
0
6
2
—
80
7
Liverpool
2017–18[128]
Premier League
14
0
2
1
—
6[a]
0
—
22
1
2018–19[129]
Premier League
38
4
0
0
0
0
12[a]
2
—
50
6
2019–20[130]
Premier League
38
5
1
0
0
0
8[a]
0
3[d]
0
50
5
2020–21[131]
Premier League
5
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
1[e]
0
8
1
2021–22[132]
Premier League
13
1
0
0
0
0
3[a]
0
—
16
1
Total
108
11
3
1
2
0
29
2
4
0
146
14
Career total
313
31
16
6
12
0
62
6
4
0
407
43
International [edit ]
- As of match played 16 November 2021[133]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
Netherlands
2015
3
0
2016
9
0
2017
4
0
2018
8
3
2019
9
1
2020
5
0
2021
6
1
Total
44
5
- As of match played 16 November 2021
- Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Van Dijk goal[133]
Honours [edit ]
Celtic
Liverpool
Netherlands
Individual
References [edit ]
Read more: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.