Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk is a Dutch soccer player who currently plays for Liverpool and is the captain of the Netherlands national football team. Widely renowned for being one of the world's best defenders in today's game, Van Dijk is the only defender to have won the prestigious UEFA Men's Player of the Year award. He also came runner-up in both the Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player award in 2019.
Since moving to Liverpool for £75million, Virgil van Dijk has had a huge impact at the club, helping them win their first league title in 30 years and a sixth European Cup. Champions League And AC Milan Legend Paulo Maldivian Says Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk Will Be ‘Best Defender In History’.
Club Career of Van Dijk, from Groningen to Liverpool
In 2009, Van Dijk started his youth career with Willem II before transferring to Groningen in 2010 on a free transfer. He made his professional debut for Groningen against ADO Den Haag on 1st May 2011, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute during the 4-2 victory.
On 21st June 2013, Van Dijk signed a four-year-long deal with Celtic for a fee of around £2.6 million, including a 10% selling-on fee for Groningen. On 17th August, He made his debut for Celtic, as a replacement in the final 13 minutes of a 2-0 Scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium.
Van Dijk signed with Liverpool for an undisclosed amount in 2018, which Southampton claim is a world record amount for a defender. Van Dijk’s former club, Celtic received 10% of the transfer as a result of a sell-on clause in the contract agreed with Southampton.
After joining Liverpool, Van Dijk debuted for his side in an FA Cup match on January 5, where he grabbed the winning goal. He went on to form a formidable connection with his teammates foremost of which is Dejan Lovren, the two players are credited for helping improve Liverpool’s line of defence. He was a key figure in Liverpool’s race to claim the UEFA Champions League. After helping his side to the final of the UEFA Champions League, Van Dijk played for a total of 90 minutes in the game that saw his side lose to Laliga’s giant Real Madrid 3-1. For his performance in the UEFA Champions League, Van Dijk was included in the tournament’s Squad of the year.
More: Club career of Virgil van Dijk
Captaincy for the Netherlands
Van Dijk's full international debut came in a 2-1 win against Kazakhstan in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier in October 2015. Van Dijk and his Dutch team suffered heartbreak when they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup - the first time since 2002.
In March 2018, Van Dijk's former Southampton boss Ronald Koeman - a man who Van Dijk thinks very highly of - awarded him the captaincy of his country. "To be named captain is very special, it means a lot for me," Van Dijk said as the news was shared. "Everyone knows he (Koeman) gave me my chance at Southampton and I'm very grateful for what he has done for me so far in my career."
Van Dijk scored his first goal for his country in March 2018, when his side demolished European champions Portugal, 3-0, at the Stade de Geneve. Van Dijk notched two goals against Germany in both UEFA Nations League games in 2018, before the Netherlands finished runners-up to Portugal.
More: The Netherlands To Face Senegal With Liverpool Teammates Virgil van Dijk & Sadio Mane Set To Collide In Qatar
Honors
Celtic
· Scottish Premiership: 2013–14, 2014–15
· Scottish League Cup: 2014–15
Liverpool
· UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18
· UEFA Super Cup: 2019
Netherlands
· UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2018–19
Achievements
· PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2013–14, 2014–15
· Celtic FC Players’ Player of the Year: 2013–14
· Southampton Player of the Season: 2015–16
· UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2017–18, 2018–19]
· FIFA FIFPro World XI5th Team: 2018
· Premier League Player of the Season: 2018–19
· PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Premier League
· PFA Player of the Month: November 2018
· Premier League Player of the Month: December 2018
· UEFA Team of the Year: 2018
· Liverpool Fans Player of the Season Award: 2018–19
· Liverpool Players’ Player of the Season Award: 2018–19
· PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2018–19
· UEFA Nations League FinalsTeam of the Tournament: 2019
More: Van Dijk’s records and stats
Net Worth of Virgil Van Dijk
Reports suggest that Virgil van Dijk has a net worth of $35.5million. According to Sportekz, Van Dijk earns £ 8 million each season from his base salary and endorsements, with this increase due to a new deal he signed with EA Sports game company for the soccer video game FIFA 20. Van Dijk is featured on the front cover of the FIFA 20 Champions Edition. Van Dijk earned $2.5million from his sponsorship deals .
The deal Van Dijk signed when he joined Liverpool in 2018 is a five-year contract, believed to be worth around $245,000 a week. The deal makes Van Dijk the third-highest paid player at Liverpool - behind Thiago Alcantara and Mohamed Salah.
More: Market value of Net worth of Virgil van Dijk
