Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has shared his delight and pride after seeing a stand named after him at former club Willem II.
Voetbal Primeur cover comments from the Liverpool star today, from Brabants Dagblad, in which he admits he’s honoured by the recognition from the Dutch club.
Van Dijk came through the youth academy at the Tilburg club but never played for their senior team, instead moving to Groningen in 2011. He spent two years there before moving to Celtic and then Southampton on 2015.
He then joined Liverpool in an €84.65m deal and has established himself as one of the best defenders in world football since. Indeed, some would have him as the best defender in the world at this moment in time.
That is something they wanted to honour at his former youth club, where they’ve named a stand after him and started a new tournament, ‘Virgil’s Legacy Trophy’ for the Under-13 teams.
It’s the latest honour in a career littered with success for the Liverpool and Netherlands captain and he is delighted with it.
“Definitely, very special,” he is quoted as saying.
“Especially because it’s not something you take for granted. I’m very proud of this, just like my family. I’m incredibly grateful to Willem II.
“My time here shaped me into the footballer and person I am today. I’ll never forget that; it’s fantastic that they were willing to do this for me. I really value that.”
Sadly, Van Dijk was not able to attend the inaugural tournament thanks to the Premier League moving Liverpool’s clash with Burnley. He’s sad about that but admits it’s not really important.
“That’s a shame. Our match was actually scheduled for Saturday, by the way,” he added.
“But the Premier League decided to postpone it. So, next year then. But ultimately, it’s not about me, is it? It’s about those young guys who will hopefully excel here.”
