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Van Dijk: “I have looked death in the eye”

Virgil van Dijk - "Oranje" defensive boss and mouthpiece

(Bild: AFP/GABRIEL BOUYS)

Virgil van Dijk is considered an absolute leader in the Dutch national team, and not just because he wears the ribbon. And he had to overcome tough times, falling seriously ill as a 20-year-old: "I was facing death."

The defensive leader of Austria's next European Championship opponents has been one of the best defenders in the world for years, and he also acts as a link between coach and team at both Liverpool and the "Elftal". His word carries weight, his coaches are full of praise for the 32-year-old. Outgoing Reds manager Jürgen Klopp spoke highly of the Dutchman: "He is incredibly important for us, as a player and as a person. I couldn't say a single bad word about him, not even if I wanted to." Dutch team boss Ronald Koeman echoed this sentiment: "It's great to work with him because he communicates very openly and always wants to learn."

Ronald Koeman

(Bild: AP/Hassan Ammar)

Life hung by a thread
Van Dijk made his first professional appearances at FC Groningen, where his career was almost over at a young age. As a 20-year-old, he had to undergo emergency surgery due to peritonitis, a ruptured appendix and kidney poisoning, and his life was hanging by a thread at the time. "I was staring death in the face," the now 70-year-old international later recounted.

The central defender was able to leave hospital two weeks after the operation, during which time he lost 15 kilos. Van Dijk's career only came to a brief standstill as a result - in 2013 he moved to Celtic Glasgow, and two years later Southampton made the move. At the Saints, Van Dijk developed into one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League. Liverpool became aware of him and paid 75 million pounds (approx. 85 million euros) for the "Oranje" star in January 2018 - a record sum for a defender at the time.

A successful duo: Virgil van Dijk (right) and Jürgen Klopp

(Bild: AFP )

Numerous successes with Liverpool
This investment paid off. The Reds won the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup in 2019, the league and the FA Cup in 2020 and the League Cup in 2022 and 2024. Van Dijk played at least as important a role as top striker Mohamed Salah. At national team level, the resounding success has yet to materialize. The Dutch missed out on the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup, while Van Dijk missed out on the 2021 European Championship due to a knee injury. At the 2022 World Cup, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual world champions Argentina.

In Germany, they hope to make it big - also with the support of higher powers. "Sometimes I pray and I feel that it has got me through some tough times. Everything happens for a reason and maybe there is a reason for my career path," said Van Dijk, who says he draws strength not only from his faith but also from his family.

Family problems
The Dutchman has been together with Rike Nooitgedagt since his youth. The couple married in 2017 and have four children. The relationship remained intact even when a British tabloid newspaper uncovered Van Dijk's fling with a porn starlet in 2014.

Before that, the footballer had been struggling with another family problem. Van Dijk grew up in Breda as the father of a Dutchman and a woman with Chinese roots from Surinam; his father left his wife and three children. "My father is no longer part of my life," said Van Dijk. That is why his jerseys do not bear the name "Van Dijk", but simply "Virgil" - he had the unloved surname removed.