Virgil van Dijk, born on the 8th of July 1991, is a robust Dutch defender who currently plies his trade as a central defender for Liverpool FC. Standing at a formidable 6ft 3in (1.93m) and weighing in at 14st 6lb (92kg), van Dijk is an imposing figure on the pitch, donning the number 4 jersey for his club side and the Netherlands national team.
In the early stages of his career, van Dijk kicked things off with FC Groningen in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. His debut season in 2010 - 2011 saw him make a humble two appearances for the first team in league matches. However, the defender soon marked his presence by appearing 23 times in the 2011 - 2012 season, scoring three goals. By the 2012 - 2013 season, van Dijk had become a mainstay in the Groningen defence, making a whopping 32 appearances and scoring two goals to boot.
In 2013, van Dijk made the move to Scottish football with a £2.6m transfer to Celtic. Van Dijk's time at Celtic proved hugely successful. In his first season (2013 - 2014), he made 36 first team appearances and scored an impressive five goals from his defensive position. His second season at Celtic (2014 - 2015) saw consistent performances as he made 35 appearances and scored four goals in league matches. His final stint at Celtic saw him making five appearances in the 2015 - 2016 season before making a transfer south of the border.
September of 2015 saw van Dijk make his way to the English football, signing for Southampton in the Championship for a fee of around £12m. During his time at the south coast club, van Dijk marked a solid presence at the heart of the defence, making appearances both in league and cup throughout three seasons, until January 2018.
Van Dijk's impressive performances didn't go unnoticed, leading to a big-money move to Premier League giants Liverpool FC in January 2018 for a staggering fee of £75m. Since then, van Dijk has been a pivotal figure in the Reds' defence, amassing over a hundred league appearances and scoring a consistent number of goals each season from 2018 onwards.
Apart from his club performances, van Dijk's international career has seen him represent the Dutch national team in several top-tier competitions including the World Cup Qualifiers, European Championship Qualifiers, Europa League, FA Community Shield, Nations League, and the UEFA Champions League.
