Why does Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk have ‘Virgil’ on his shirt?

The reason why Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk does not use his surname on the back of his shirt and uses 'Virgil' instead has been revealed.

The Netherlands international has established himself as one of the best defenders on the planet in the last few years.

Virgil van Dijk's move to Liverpool in January 2018 proved to be a turning point for the club as the Reds' fortunes completely changed after that.

The Dutchman has played an instrumental role for the Reds over the years and has won a total of seven trophies during his time at Anfield.

He has won one Premier League title and one Champions League for the Reds and also finished second behind Lionel Messi in the race for the Ballon d'Or in 2019.

However, Van Dijk does not use his surname on his jersey and uses 'Virgil' instead. The reason why he does so has been revealed by his maternal uncle Steven Fo Sieeuw.

As per Fo Sieeuw, the Liverpool defender has not forgiven his father for splitting with his mother, which is why he does not use his father's surname. He said, as quoted by talkSPORT:

“His dad split with his mother and his three children, including Virgil, who found it hard to forgive him for that. 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."

He added:

“You don’t take your dad’s name off your shirt without a reason and Virgil has made it very clear how he feels. Ron [Van Dijk] is a nice guy but you need to be more than that to be a good father."

He continued:

"You have to be there for your children. Ron married again and his new wife was very domineering, so he didn’t see his kids much. I feel for Virgil, it’s like he’s been caught in the middle.”

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp offers a response when asked about out-of-contract star's future

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has issued a short but telling update on Roberto Firmino's future with the club. He said (as quoted by Liverpool World):

“I said that before: yes, I want to keep him at the club.”

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Firmino is still keen to play for the Reds despite garnering interest from some Saudi Arabian clubs.

Firmino's current deal expires this summer and reportedly wants a two-year contract until 2025.