- Virgil Van Dijk is a Dutch defender who plays for Premier League side Liverpool and the Netherlands National team.
- The seasoned defender is known for his aerial prowess, leadership qualities and a good pace to catch up to attackers.
Virgil Van Dijk is a Dutch defender who plays for Premier League side Liverpool and the Netherlands National team.
The seasoned defender is known for his aerial prowess, leadership qualities and a good pace to catch up to attackers.
Virgil Van Dijk biography
| Full Name | Virgil Van Dijk |
| Source of wealth | Football |
| Age | 31 |
| Place of Birth | Breda, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.95 m |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Date of birth | 8 July 1991 |
| Occupation | Footballer |
| Marital Status | Married |
Early life
On July 8, 1991, Virgil van Dijk was born in Breda, an area in the southern Netherlands. Van Dijk began playing football at the neighbourhood amateur club, WDS’19 and eventually joined the youth academy of Willem II Tilburg, a Dutch professional football team.
Van Dijk played a variety of positions on the field as a youth, including striker and midfielder.
He had a lot of potential as a young player and eventually was identified by FC Groningen, a Dutch professional football team, where he began his professional career.
Club career
Virgil Van Dijk./PHOTO: Getty Images
In 2011, he made his FC Groningen professional debut, and he soon cemented his position as an important part of the squad. Van Dijk played with Groningen for two seasons, appearing in 66 games and scoring 7 goals.
Van Dijk joined the Scottish team Celtic in 2013 and played there for two and a half seasons. He quickly won over Celtic’s supporters and established himself as a crucial member of the squad, helping them to two Scottish Premiership titles, one Scottish Cup, and one Scottish League Cup.
Van Dijk joined Southampton of the English Premier League in 2015 and played there for two seasons. In the 2015–16 season, he made 68 appearances for the team and was voted Player of the Year.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018 in a record-breaking £75 million transaction.
Van Dijk helped Liverpool in securing their first Premier League title in 30 years in 2020 and the UEFA Champions League in 2019.
He has since played 212 times for the Reds and scored 19 goals. He has distinguished himself as one of the top defenders in the world and has several times been selected to the PFA Team of the Year and the UEFA Champions League Team of the Year.
International career
Van Dijk is the Dutch team’s captain.|PHOTO: Daily Sabah|
On October 10, 2015, he made his international debut for the Netherlands against Kazakhstan in a friendly game. Since then, Van Dijk has emerged as a prominent player for the Netherlands, contributing significantly to their defence. In 2019, he guided the team to make it to the UEFA Nations League final, where they lost to Portugal. Van Dijk won Player of the Match awards in the semifinal matchup with England.
Additionally, he was a part of the Netherlands team that advanced to the round of 16 of the Euro 2020 tournament before being defeated by the Czech Republic. He suffered an injury early in the season, though, thus he was unable to participate in the competition.
He is the team’s current captain and has played 54 times and scored six goals for his country.
Personal life
Van dijk with his wife Rike Nooitgedagt. |PHOTO: Sport Brief|
Virgil van Dijk married Rike Nooitgedagt, his childhood sweetheart. Despite acting like a married couple throughout his professional career, they only became legally married in 2017.
The fact that the family is private is one of the reasons they have managed to stay together throughout the years. Although they have four kids, they have only given the public the names of two of them.
His father abandoned his mother and his three children, leaving them to fend for themselves. The whole thing had a negative impact on Virgil as a child, leading to him never forgiving his father in his adult life.
When the Dutch superstar Van Dijk signed for Liverpool as the most expensive defender in history, the world learned about the family strife within the Van Dijks. Fans who had purchased jerseys with Van Djik’s name on the back were perplexed as to why the star wore a jersey without his last name and just said, “Virgil.”
Net worth
After signing a contract extension at Liverpool the Dutch defender earns £220,000 per week.
It is estimated that predicted to be around $30 million which includes his salary, product advertisements and brand endorsements.
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