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Fri 11 September 2020 | 6:30

Facts about Virgil van Dijk

Being one of the best centre-backs in the world certainly does put a man under the spotlight. Here are 10 facts about Virgil van Dijk that you need to know.

The world of football is gaining more fans every day from all around the world. Children grow up watching their heroes play the sweet game every week, dreaming of one day becoming such a great player themselves. But one thing that is usually the case is that people usually tend to appreciate and give more attention to the strikers than other players.

This fact however, has not stopped players playing in other positions from becoming an integral part of the footballing culture, while also making an idol of themselves for the current and future generations. Liverpool centre-back

Virgil van Dijk

is certainly one such player. Ever since his move to Anfield, he has become one of the best centre-backs in the world, helping his team to a

Champions League

trophy, while also ending a 30-year Premier League title drought by creating a solid wall at the back.

10 facts about Virgil van Dijk that you need to know

There are many

facts about Virgil van Dijk

that you need to know about, then without further ado, let’s get to know 10 facts about Virgil van Dijk that you need to know.

Virgil van Dijk age

Many of us might wonder how a person so young could achieve so much? Well, if you are wondering about

Virgil van Dijk age

, then you have come to the right place. The Dutch international was born in July 8, 1991, in Breda, a city in the southern part of the Netherlands which means that Virgil van Dijk’s age is currently 29.

During these 29 years, he has played over 10 years of football as he began his journey back in 2009 with the Dutch club

Willem II

. However, his senior career began in 2011 with another Dutch club

Groningen

.

Virgil van Dijk height

As a manager, to have a solid wall at the back you would need your defenders to be as tall and strong as they can be. As a defender, and specially as centre-back, in most cases you would need to be tall and strong to be selected as a starter at the back and hopefully succeed in your path.

Virgil van Dijk height

is certainly something that every defender needs to have, and every manager hopes to find in a good defender.

If you were wondering about Virgil van Dijk’s height, then you should know that the tall Dutch defender is considered to be quite a tall watchtower at the back as he is 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. His height has certainly helped him in his road to success and becoming one of the best centre-backs and arguably The best centre-back in the world.

Virgil van Dijk salary

Money is what people need to survive and actually be able to live the life they want. Money is the center of it all, the truth behind every art that turns into an industry. Football wasn’t exempt from this evolution either. The football industry is an ever growing giant that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. It pays the players, especially male players quite well, due to the game’s popularity all over the world which has attracted mouth-watering sponsorship contracts from famous corporations and organizations.

This would only mean that if you’re one of the best players in the world and you’re playing for a like Liverpool, you are bound to get a sweet deal. Having been placed on top of many lists about the best defenders in the world has certainly affected

Virgil van Dijk’s salary

.

Virgil van Dijk salary might not be as high as Messi’s or Ronaldo’s, but it definitely is a mind-blowing figure as the Dutchman currently earns £9.6 million per year, which is one of the more interesting

facts about Virgil van Dijk

.

Virgil van Djk transfermarket

Before we discuss

Virgil van Dijk transfermarket

value, we should get to know a bit about his history of clubs he has played for. We already know that the Dutch centre-back began his senior career in Eredivisie with Groningen back in 2011. But before signing for

Liverpool

, van Dijk signed for the Scottish Premiership side

Celtic

 in 2013, at which he stayed until 2015 when he then moved to England to play for the English Premier League side

Southampton

.

Van Dijk signed for Liverpool back in 2018 for a reported fee of £75M which made him the most expensive defender of all time back then. Many believed that Liverpool and their manager Jurgen Klopp were simply insane to play such a hefty amount of money for a 26-year-old no one.

Little did they know that he would soon become one of the best defenders in the world, as Virgil van Dijk’s transfermarket value rose form £10M to £100M. Although his market value in 2020 has seen a bit of a drop as it stands at £80M. There are so many facts about Virgil van Dijk that can be mentioned from his days at each of these clubs, but these will have to do for now.

Virgil van Dijk net worth

The Liverpool centre-back is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the world in 2020, which is one of the more interesting facts about Virgil van Dijk, and is clearly reflected in his transfer market value. With all the money that flows through the Dutchman’s accounts, you would think that

Virgil van Dijk’s net worth

is quite high. You’re not wrong. Virgil van Dijk net worth is currently said to be around $20 million which is quite hefty considering how much people with day-to-day normal jobs are paid.

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Virgil van Dijk stats

Considering all-time

Virgil van Dijk stats

, we can take a look at his whole career from the time he began his journey in his home country of Netherlands. Overall, he has played a total of 388 games, during which he has accumulated 42 goals and 18 assists, getting booked 43 times in the process, three of which were straight red cards.

However, looking at Virgil van Dijk’s stats, some might say that you don’t judge a defender by the goals he has scored or the assists he has made. They might actually be right about this one. But one of the fascinating facts about Virgil van Dijk is that during his 157 total appearances in the Premier League (Southampton and Liverpool combined), he has an amazing record of 60 clean sheets to his name, which is quite difficult to achieve as he is not the only one defending the goal against the opposition.

Although his all-time stats are fantastic, some might say “what about the 2019/20 season?”. Well, Virgil was absolutely phenomenal last season in the

Premier League

, holding 15 clean sheets in 38 games, scoring 5 goals and making 1 assist in the process. The 29-year-old is without a doubt one of the most solid and reliable defenders currently active in the world of football.

One of the facts about Virgil van Dijk that is worthy of a standing ovation is certainly his stats for Liverpool, which has helped his team become one of Europe’s powerhouses once again after a long time.

Virgil van Dijk awards

In case of Virgil van Dijk awards, you need to know that not many players have been able to compete with Messi and Ronaldo for the Ballon d’Or award, especially defenders and goalkeepers. Van Dijk was certainly an exception as he competed for the Ballon d’Or and the best FIFA Men’s Player awards, but unfortunately for him and his fans, he came second at both.

However, talking about

Virgil van Dijk’s awards

, he can safely boast about one of his most important individual awards, which is the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year. He is the only defender to win such a prestigious award. Another one of the facts about Virgil van Dijk is that he was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season in his first year at Liverpool back in the 2018/19 season.

Van Dijk has also got quite a fine trophy cabinet for himself as well. He has won 1 Premier League title, 1 UEFA Champions League trophy, 1 FIFA Club World Cup, 1 UEFA Supercup, 1 Scottish League Cup and 3 Scottish Premiership titles during his 10-year senior career.

Although, he can be considered as one of the unlucky players of the decade as he and his team came close to winning the Premier League and the Champions League in the 2018/19 season. But Manchester City beat them to the Premier League title with just one extra point and a total of 98 points. They were also beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in the 2018/19 Champions League final, a game that most Liverpool fans, and especially Liverpool’s former goalkeeper

Loris Karius

would want to forget.

Virgil van Dijk Instagram

Nowadays, having a strong social media presence and activity is an integral part of becoming a famous superstar in any industry. That is why most famous celebrities, including football players tend to create their own unique social media pages, whether on apps such as Instagram or websites such as Facebook or Youtube.

The Dutch footballer is no exception in this department as he has his own Instagram page.

Virgil van Dijk Instagram

page is quite popular with 9.8 million followers, followed by celebrities, football stars, news outlets and other people such as ourselves. Lately due to the international break, you can see several posts about and pictures of the Netherlands national football team on Virgil van Dijk’s Instagram page since he is the captain of his national team.

Virgil van Dijk parents

We have reached some of the more private

facts about Virgil van Dijk

. Very little is known about

Virgil van Dijk’s parents

as he is not a guy who shares a lot. There is drama in everyone’s life. We all with a daily dose of drama in our lives as well, each with our own story uniquely designed by the universe. It is safe to say that Virgil’s life has been quite dramatic as well. Many have wondered about Virgil van Dijk parents, asking questions about the Dutchman’s early life.

The number of curious people and the total amount of curiosity tripled after Virgil decided to omit his surname “van Dijk” from his jersey, only keeping his name Virgil on the back of his jersey. It is quite unfortunate and sad to know that the reason behind this omission is the bad relationship he has with his father Ron van Dijk.

 It has been confirmed that his father left Virgil’s mother ‘Hellen Fo Sieeuw’ and his family when he was 12 years old, which only meant that he was taken care of by a single mother who gave him everything she could. This one could be one of the saddest facts about Virgil van Dijk, as such a thing could leave a traumatic mark in all of us.

Virgil van Dijk wife

Virgil van Dijk’s wife ‘Rike Nooitgedagt’ tries to keep her distance from the media. Even the Dutchman himself rarely speaks of or posts about her on his social media accounts. This might be due to some allegations that van Dijk actually used to have a liaison with porn star Georgie Lyall back when his then girlfriend was pregnant with their first child.

There are rumors about their relationship, but they are all rumors and allegations as there are no confirmations or proofs to such drama. One thing is for sure though, and that is that Ms. Nooitgedagt is now

Virgil van Dijk's wife

and they are happily married, living quite a silent and calm life together in England.

That ends our list of facts about Virgil van Dijk, but there is still so much to know about one of the best centre-backs in the world. We could only wait and see if the Dutch international would in fact release a documentary or an autobiography about himself in the future, just like other superstars that have recently published books and series about their lives and careers.


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