Virgil van Dijk is a Dutch professional footballer who plays in the central defender position and is currently captain of the Oranje (Dutch national soccer team). The defender, who set a world record for transfer fees for a defender when he moved from Southampton to Liverpool in January 2018, is known for his leadership, aerial skills, passing, and dead-ball skills, qualities that have described him as the ideal modern central defender.
He was born on July 8, 1991, in Breda, Netherlands, the son of a Dutch father, Ray, and a Surinamese mother, Ruby. As a child, van Dijk suffered from a dangerous abdominal abscess that hindered his growth and put him in hospital for a long time. But after he survived the ordeal, the young player was able to realize his dream of playing professional football.
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Soccer Career
While pursuing his career with the local team Willem II, van Dijk went through a growth spurt during which he shot up seven centimeters. This sudden growth put pressure on his knees and hampered his performance on the field, which resulted in him being almost cut by his team. After a year on the team, van Dijk moved to Groningen in 2010, where he was able to celebrate some successes. After spending a year in the youth team, he signed his first professional contract and advanced to the first team, where he made his professional debut for the team on 1 May 2011.
Virgil van Dijk’s career followed a trajectory with the Dutch team when he was hammering in goals and playing as an emergency striker for his team, although he was also active as a defender. One year after his career in Groningen, van Dijk suffered another health shock when his appendix burst and he had to be put out of action for a few months. Later the player recovered and continued to show good form, so that the Scottish giants, Celtic, had to step in.
On June 21, 2013, Celtic Groningen paid a fee of around 2.6 million pounds for the player’s signature, and the towering Dutchman moved to Glasgow. In his two-year career with Celtic, van Dijk played a total of 76 games, scored nine goals, and won two titles in the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish League Cup.
His next stop was on the south coast of England after Southampton paid Celtic £13 million for his services. Virgil van Dijk took the Premier League by storm and soon after his arrival became a focal point for his team. Under a year, the player was named captain of the team, but this did not stop him from wanting to play for a team battling for the title. After several failed attempts to leave the team, van Dijk was finally sold to Liverpool in the Winter Transfer Window 2018 for a fee of 75 million pounds, a world record transfer fee for a defender.
Virgil van Dijk has become a central point of the Liverpool defense. He helped his team reach the 2018 UEFA Champions League final and secured a place in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League squad.
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Does Virgil van Dijk have a Wife or Girlfriend?
Virgil van Dijk is a married man. The curly-haired defender is married to his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful Rike Nooitgedagt. According to reports, the couple, who married in the summer of 2016, met when van Dijk was still at the beginning of his career and played for his local club Willem II.
Nooitgedagt was reportedly at her husband’s side as he made a name for himself in the Dutch league before finally moving to Scotland. At the time, Nooitgedagt had a decent job as a sales manager for fashion but was faced with the difficult decision of either quitting her job and following him to a new country, or staying at home and leaving everything to fate. She chose the former, and the couple is now a happy family of three. They welcomed their daughter in September 2014.
Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
Birth Name: Virgil van Dijk
Date of Birth: 8 July 1991
Place of Birth: Breda, Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
Height: 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m)
Weight: 92kg (203 lbs)
Body Measurements: Not Available
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
