Virgil van Dijk, teenage cast-off turned Dutch giant

Liverpool’s Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk warms up ahead of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Leeds United at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on October 29, 2022. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) /

One of the world’s most formidable defenders, a combination of circumstance and misfortune means only now is Virgil van Dijk set to appear at his first major international tournament.

From a teenager essentially discarded by Willem II to an underrated prospect at Groningen, Van Dijk became the world’s most expensive defender when Liverpool signed him for £75 million from Southampton in 2018.

He quickly ingratiated himself with Anfield supporters by scoring the winner on his home debut against Everton in the Merseyside derby, and his arrival coincided with a run to the Champions League final.

Van Dijk’s displays the following season helped the Reds return to the biggest game in European club football, with Liverpool defeating Tottenham Hotspur to lift their sixth European Cup weeks after being pipped to the Premier League title on the final day by Manchester City despite racking up 97 points.

The Dutchman lost out on the 2019 Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi by a handful of votes but earned the recognition of his peers by winning the English PFA Players’ player of the year prize.

Van Dijk played every minute during the Covid-interrupted 2019-20 campaign as Liverpool ended a 30-year wait for the English title, but his absence was keenly felt the next season after he was injured in a collision with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

A torn ACL sidelined Van Dijk for over nine months and kept him out of Euro 2020, where the Dutch flattered to deceive and exited in the last 16 after cruising through the