Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk needs ‘one big, good tournament’ to prove his doubters in the Netherlands wrong and then ‘say goodbye’ to the national team.
That’s according to journalist Sjoerd Mossou, who believes the defender should have a greater legacy with the Netherlands given what he’s achieved at club level.
Van Dijk has established himself as one of the best defenders in Premier League history during his time at Liverpool following his move from Southampton in January 2018.
Since then, he’s made 253 appearances for the club in all competitions and been central to their success under Jurgen Klopp, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the Community Shield, Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
He’s also been highly successful on a personal level, winning numerous individual awards including the PFA Players Player of the Year in 2018-19, Premier League Player of the Season in the same year and several UEFA based awards.
He’s not enjoyed similar success on the international stage, though, with the highest point of his time with the Netherlands arguably reaching the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup.
That’s often led to some criticism in his homeland and Mossou believes the Liverpool star needs to perform big at Euro 2024 to dispel them completely.
“His leadership is sometimes questioned, but he has everything a captain should have,” he said on Panenka.
“You want a captain to look like this, right? What Ruud Gullit used to have; you also have with Virgil van Dijk: there is someone standing there.
“He should leave a greater legacy with the Dutch national team. But guys, he is the captain of Liverpool, the captain of Liverpool. He is there on murals around the stadium. Then you are a very great player.
“But he still has to play one big, good tournament. At least the semi-finals in Germany, then he can say goodbye as a worthy captain.”
