Virgil van Dijk Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Virgil van Djik is a professional footballer from the Netherlands who has played for various clubs like Groningen, Celtic, Southampton, Liverpool, among many others. He started playing for the senior team of Netherlands internationally in 2015. The center back player was made the captain of his country’s football team in 2018.

Sun Sign

Cancer

Nationality

Education

Virgil van Dijk started his soccer journey with Groningen Youth Academy.

Manager

Virgil van Dijk is represented by Neil Fewings of Wasserman Media Group.

Position

Center-back

Shirt Number

4 – FC Groningen, Netherlands National Team, Liverpool FC

5 – Celtic FC

17 – Southampton FC

Girlfriend / Spouse

Virgil van Dijk has dated

1. Rike Nooitgedagt – Virgil got married to his childhood sweetheart Rike Nooitgedagt in the summer of 2017. They had been together for quite some time and she had even quit her job as a fashion sales manager when Van Dijk decided to move to Celtic in the summer of 2013. In 2014, she gave birth to their daughter.

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Imposing Physical Presence
• Curly hair that are often pulled back in a bun

Brand Endorsements

Virgil van Dijk has inked a personal endorsement deal with Nike as part of which he is required to wear their cleats as well as other products for his matches and other public appearances. He has also promoted their products on the social media.

Religion

He is a devout Christian, who used to visit Church daily in his younger days.

His frequency has dropped in the recent years, but he still sometimes prays as it helped him go through the dark times in the past.

Best Known For

• Being one of the imposing and skilled central defenders in the English top flight.
• His messy and acrimonious transfer from Southampton FC to Liverpool FC. During the transfer tussle, the Saints had even banished him from the senior team dressing room and had released a public statement criticizing Liverpool’s conduct.
• Playing a key role in Liverpool’s run to the finals of the 2018 UEFA Champions League, where they were defeated by Real Madrid.

First Soccer Match

In May 2011, he made his professional debut with the Dutch side Groningen in a match against ADO Den Haag. He came in as a 72nd-minute substitute in his side’s 4-2 win.

In September 2015, he made his first competitive appearance for Southampton FC in an away match against West Bromwich Albion. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.

In January 2018, he made his debut for Liverpool FC in an FA Cup third round match against their derby rivals, Everton FC. He scored a header to give his side 2-1 victory.

In October 2015, Van Dijk made his first international appearance for his national side Netherlands in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier match against Kazakhstan.

Strengths

• Pace
• Strength
• Technical Ability
• Passing
• Tackling
• Defensive Positioning
• Leadership
• Composure
• Attacking presence from set-pieces

Weaknesses

He sometimes loses concentration when his team is in a good position in the match, leaving him susceptible to counter attacks.

First TV Show

Apart from the broadcast of the football matches, Virgil van Dijk made his first TV show appearance as himself on the sports TV series, Final Score in January 2018.

Virgil van Dijk Favorite Things

• EA Sports FIFA Team – Barcelona FC
• Idol –

Source –

Virgil van Dijk Facts

1. At the start of his soccer career, he used to work as a dishwasher at the Oncle Jean restaurant in Breda.
2. He nearly died at the age of 19 after he suffered a burst appendix. He had to spend 12 days in the hospital and it took him 4 months to recover. He also lost 2 stone by the time he was released from the hospital.
3. In June 2013, he moved to Celtic from Groningen with the Scottish club paying around £2.6 million to the Dutch side. Also, one of the transfer clauses promised Groningen 10% selling-on fee whenever Van Dijk would move to another club.
4. At the end of his debut season with Celtics, he was one of the three Celtics players to be included in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. He was again included in the team at the end of the following season.
5. In September 2015, Southampton paid £13 million in reported transfer fees to Celtics. He also signed a 5 year deal with his new club.
6. Impressed with his immense performances in his debut season, Southampton offered him a new 6 years contract deal in May 2016. The club also made him the captain in January 2017.
7. After a transfer saga that lasted for more than half a year, Liverpool finally signed him from Southampton in January 2018. The Merseyside giants paid record-breaking £75 million for the transfer.
8. His transfer from Southampton to Liverpool made him the most expensive defender in the history of the game.
9. In March 2018, the new Dutch manager Ronald Koeman made him the captain of the national team.

Featured Image by Ailura / / CC BY-SA 3.0 AT