5 Things you didn't know about Virgil van Dijk

#2 He worked as a pot washer at a restaurant

The PFA Player Of The Year used to clean pots for a living

From being a pot washer at a restaurant to one of the biggest names in football, the UEFA Player of The Year has certainly silenced those who said he wouldn't make it.

A 16-year-old boy who only dreamt of making it as a professional footballer, van Dijk worked as a kitchen hand at the Oncle Jean restaurant in the city of Breda where he was born. Restaurant owner Jacques Lips admits he never saw in him the potential to play professional football and encouraged him to spend more time in cleaning dishes, as that way he could earn a few more quids.

“He was a good worker. He would scrub hard and do his job properly", said Lips in an interview. "I would often tell him he should wash more pots and stop trying to become a professional player".

Safe to say, he's been left stunned by what his former employee has gone on to become.

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#1 He doesn't wear his dad's name on the back of his shirt

Ever wondered why he doesn't have "Van Dijk' on his shirt?

“You don’t take your dad’s name off your shirt without a reason", said his uncle in an interview.

The reason he wears "Virgil" on his shirt is that he didn't want to go by his dad's name, who he has never forgiven.

His dad abandoned his mother at a very young age and they haven't . “The truth is his dad was not around for so many important years and it is his mother who is the real hero of this story", says his uncle.

Even though his dad tried to get in touch later, he and his family didn't want to see him. His mum had to go through immense hardships to make ends meet, and Van Dijk wants to repay her sacrifices.

The defender proudly bears only his first name on his shirt for club and country, and he has reached the light at the end of the tunnel that his mother always believed in.