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Virgil van Dijk pays tribute to his Celtic days

By Sourav Mahanty

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 22: James Forrest (L) of Celtic is congratulated by teammate Virgil van Dijk of Celtic after scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Celtic and Ajax at Celtic Park Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 22: James Forrest (L) of Celtic is congratulated by teammate Virgil van Dijk of Celtic after scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Celtic and Ajax at Celtic Park Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) /
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Virgil van Dijk, in an recent interview, has taken a look back at his time at Celtic and revealed how he considers his stint there as an important part of his footballing journey that he needed to go through to get to where he is today.

Today he is almost unanimously considered as the best centre-back on the planet but before the bright lights of the Premier League and the Champions League Winners’ medal in his trophy case, Virgil van Dijk was a young Dutch defender looking to make a name for himself in world football.

It might be hard to believe today but van Dijk was not considered as a premium talent coming through the ranks in Netherlands. In fact, he made a combined 4 appearances for the Dutch national team at youth levels. In comparison, Terence Kongolo made 41 appearances for the Netherlands youth teams at 7 different levels and was handed a senior national cap at 20 years old.

It is clear that van Dijk has never been handed nothing during his career. He was let go by Willem II during his youth days because they believed he had too many limitations in his game to make it to senior level of football. As a result, he moved to unfancied FC Groningen on a free transfer and started his senior career there at the age of 19.

In 2013, he would join Celtic £2.6 million after clubs like Ajax rejected the offer to sign him. It is here that he first burst on to the European scene and clubs started to take notice of the 6′ 4″ Dutch giant marshaling the Celtic defence. Finally after two seasons at Parkhead, he would move on to the riches of the Premier League like so many before him and since then.

The rest as they say is history and Virgil van Dijk is considered by most to be the best defender in the world today. Also a lot of Dutch club officials must have sleepless nights thinking about the day they rejected the opportunity to sign the man who would go on to compete with Lionel Messi for the Ballon d’Or.

For a man who has gone through so much to get to the top of world football, van Dijk is clearly very fond of the path that took him there. Speaking to France Football about his time at Celtic Park, he said:

“I had to work hard. Even when I was at Celtic, Premier League teams were very suspicious of me. They didn’t want to take a risks because I was playing in the Scottish Premiership.

“I continued to progress, but nothing was easy. Everyone has their destiny, their own path. The one I’ve taken belongs to me. I think I needed to live through that.”

Without doubt one of the best players of his generation, Celtic fans would also remember his stint there equally fondly. After all it is the journey that makes the man and it is a pleasure to know that van Dijk’s went through Celtic Park.

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