FC Basel defender Finn van Breemen has revealed how he follows Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk closely and hopes to replicate his career progress.
The 20-year-old has been speaking to Voetbal International, relayed by Soccer News, about his decision to join Basel from Ado Den Haag this summer.
The youngster had been with the Dutch club for his entire career, joining them in 2012 and working his way up the various youth ranks to the first team last summer.
It was somewhat strange, then, for him to decide to depart in the summer transfer window and particularly for Switzerland with Basel.
It’s a move that’s working out for him so far, though, as he has established himself as a first team regular in the league and also featured in Europa Conference League qualifiers.
It’s also earned him a call-up to the Netherland’s U21 squad, with him making him making his debut for them in September.
The plan, it seems, is to develop his game further and perhaps earn himself attention from bigger clubs, an example set by Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
He started with Willem in the Netherlands before joining Groningen and then Celtic, where he starred in Scotland and the Champions League before joining Southampton.
Three years there eventually led him to Liverpool, where he went on to establish himself as one of the best in the world, a path that Van Breemen has followed and wants to replicate.
“I am a central defender and I watch Virgil van Dijk a lot,” he said.
“After his injury he may find it a bit more difficult. That’s not so crazy. But in that year that Liverpool won the league title, he was the best central defender in the world. Did he really become an idol? Or actually he still is.
“Those intermediate steps again and again. A bit of a late bloomer, just like me. I get inspiration from stories like that. I always thought that opportunity will come one day.”
