Van Dijk Makes History as Liverpool Finally Catches Their Breath
Virgil van Dijk has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the Netherlands captain with the most appearances in the distinguished history of the national team, finding solace in this achievement during a challenging period at Liverpool.
The imposing Dutch defender has appeared unusually unsettled, both in matches and beyond. From losing track of attacking runs to engaging in heated exchanges with Wayne Rooney, the typically composed Van Dijk has been thrown off balance.
The 34-year-old's campaign was epitomized during the closing nine minutes of the opening half in Liverpool's encounter with Manchester City in their previous outing. Van Dijk experienced the swing from celebrating a leveling goal to accidentally contributing to his team falling 2–0 behind as VAR decisions and Nico González caused chaos.
The current international window has provided Van Dijk with essential relief. Representing his nation has frequently served as a sanctuary. The captain hasn't suffered defeat for his country in regular time since the Euro 2024 semifinal, and guided his team to a convincing shutout victory over Lithuania on Monday night to reach this significant milestone.
During Van Dijk's 88th international match, he led the Netherlands for the 72nd occasion, surpassing Frank de Boer's previous record. No other player in the men's national team history has reached even fifty appearances while serving as captain.
Player | Total Caps | Caps as Captain |
|---|---|---|
Virgil van Dijk | 88 | 72 |
Frank de Boer | 112 | 71 |
Ruud Krol | 83 | 45 |
Ruud Gullit | 66 | 41 |
Harry Dénis | 56 | 37 |
Edwin van der Sar | 130 | 36 |
Johan Cruyff | 48 | 34 |
Ronald Koeman | 78 | 33 |
"I feel immense pride in holding this record now, but I'm even more honored to have guided this group of players for such an extended period," Van Dijk shared with NOS. "As a young child, I never imagined this possibility. Playing for the national team seemed incredibly distant, much less breaking Frank de Boer's record."
Van Dijk didn't receive his debut call-up until his Premier League move to Southampton in 2015, at age 24. Joining a squad that was struggling after failing to qualify for Euro 2016, the authoritative center-back quickly established himself as a defensive cornerstone.
Soon after Van Dijk's transfer to Liverpool in early 2018, he inherited the captaincy from Arjen Robben, first leading the Oranje against England in Amsterdam.
Back to the Grind for Liverpool
Anticipating this summer's World Cup after confirming qualification this week, Van Dijk expressed enthusiasm: "The key now is building team cohesion, collaborating to develop into a resilient unit that's hard to overcome. I'm genuinely excited about the prospect." Whether he feels similarly about returning to Liverpool duties is uncertain.
The reigning Premier League champions currently sit in a disappointing eighth position after enduring five league losses—exceeding their total from the previous entire campaign. The underlying issues behind these struggles have been consistently identified by Arne Slot: aerial balls and set-piece situations remain unresolved weaknesses for Liverpool.
Given these concerns, the Reds resume league competition against arguably the most unapologetically direct tactician in the division: Sean Dyche. After experimenting with possession-focused football under Nuno Espírito Santo initially, then embracing Ange Postecoglou's extreme approach, the former Everton manager has quickly returned to direct tactics.