5 reasons why Virgil van Dijk is a future Liverpool captain

Modified Apr 30, 2018 11:17 GMT

Liverpool v Everton - The Emirates FA Cup Third Round — Virgil van Dijk has established himself as a key player at Liverpool but is he a future captain?

#3 He’s already captain of his country

Netherlands Training session — Van Dijk has already been selected to captain his country

Often when an international side selects a new captain, they tend to go for an experienced player and a lot of the time they’ll pick someone who is already captain of their club. When Ronald Koeman took over the managerial duties for the Netherlands earlier in 2018 though, the man he chose as his new captain was none other than van Dijk.

It didn’t really come as a surprise given that Koeman and van Dijk had worked together at Southampton – it was Koeman who signed the Dutch defender from Celtic – and van Dijk has always credited Koeman with getting him to the top in the Premier League, but it also says a lot about the defender’s leadership qualities.

Despite the Netherlands currently being in a rebuilding phase following failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the fact that van Dijk has been selected to captain his country surely means that he’s a future club captain too. The two roles go hand-in-hand after all, and the fact that he already captains the Netherlands would instantly give him the respect he’d need to captain Liverpool as well, particularly if he can bring some success back to his international side.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram