Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has insisted he would be willing to give up part of his salary to protect his health, and not play less games.
The defender has been speaking at the Netherlands’ pre-match press conference ahead of this international break, when the subject of playing time was raised.
The matter is one of growing concern in the game, with players and managers currently insisting that the number of games that professionals are being asked to play in the modern game is too high.
The belief from them is that professionals are being put in danger, with the combination of league games, cup competitions and international fixtures seeing some player upwards of 60 games each year.
This is something Van Dijk is well aware of, with his status in the Dutch team and at Liverpool meaning he is consistently one of the players playing a high number of games each season.
Talks between various bodies have been ongoing for some time in an effort to streamline the football calendar, a complicated process to say the least given the various footballing bodies and then broadcasters, sponsors and everything else involved.
The debate is an ongoing one and thus was brought up to the Liverpool star by journalist Valentijn Driessen, who questioned whether the defender would be willing to give up 10% of his annual salary in exchange for playing less games. Van Dijk, though, had a different take.
“It’s becoming more and more. Hence the discussion. I think we as players have to say something about it and find a solution,” he said.
“We have to be on the field. Health is slightly more important than the money it generates. Hopefully there will be a solution for that.
“For my health, I would give up ten percent of my salary. As a collective we have to work on this. As players, or as captains. We are talking about this with the PFA (Professional Footballers Association, we have to find a solution.
“Because fewer matches should not depend on my salary. You are now trying to get me to say something nice, but I don’t think it should depend on my salary whether we play fewer matches.”
