Virgil van Dijk is a Dutch footballer, born on 8 July 1991, and is renowned as a central defender for Liverpool. Standing proudly at 6ft 3in (or 1.93m for those partial to the metric system) and weighing 14st 6lb (or 92kg), he is a formidable presence on the pitch. Adorned with the number 4 jersey, van Dijk also had the honour of representing the Netherlands' national team.
van Dijk embarked on his professional football journey with FC Groningen in the Eredivisie league in the Netherlands in July 2010. Making only two appearances in his debut season, his impact grew most significantly in the 2012 - 2013 season, making 32 appearances and scoring two goals.
Celtic, with their discerning eye, acquired van Dijk from FC Groningen in July 2013 for a sum of about £2.6 million. His debut season with the Hoops was embellished with 36 appearances in league matches and five goals. His second season was equally impressive, featuring 35 league appearances and four goals. Although his third season was cut short, he still managed five league appearances for Celtic.
By September 2015, van Dijk’s prowess had attracted the attention of Southampton and he was transferred for an appreciable £12 million. His tenure at Southampton was notable with a total of 67 league appearances and four goals from 2015 to 2018.
Perhaps the most defining transfer of his career to date, van Dijk was picked up by Premier League team, Liverpool, in January 2018 for a whopping £75 million. Since joining the Reds, van Dijk has made more than 180 league appearances and notched up more than 15 goals till the 2024-2025 season.
Besides the league matches, van Dijk has also etched his mark in several other tournaments, scoring in the League Cup 2024 - 2025 for Liverpool and Euro 2024 for Netherlands. He has also played in Europa League 2023 - 2024 for Liverpool, Nations League 2024 - 2025 for Netherlands, and Champions League 2024 - 2025 for Liverpool, displaying his prowess across different formats of football.
