Virgil van Dijk would first make a name on the European stage during his time at Celtic. It was pretty clear even back then that he was destined for big things in football. But not even his biggest supporters could have imagined how big it would actually end up becoming.
Van Dijk has gone on to establish himself as a legend at Liverpool and proven himself to be one of the best players in Dutch football history.
He has won every thing that there is to win in club football during his time at Liverpool and will be looking to guide the Netherlands to World Cup glory later this year in Qatar, where they will have to be considered as one of the favourites with the squad that they have at the moment.
His stint at Celtic did play a huge part in shaping Van Dijk as a player though and ended up getting him ready for what was to come in the Premier League and at Liverpool in particular. As reported by The Scotsman, the centre-back said:
"“At Celtic, the pressure was immense. If you draw you’ve lost. You had to win and that was something, that mentality, I definitely learned. But it was also learning how to play the British style with more direct, channel balls, a lot of fighting, headers. It was something I wasn’t really used to in Holland so it definitely helped me in order to be ready for my next step in the Premier League.“Celtic was 100 per cent similar to Liverpool and that is maybe one of the reasons that I picked Liverpool [in 2019] as well. I really feel that my step to Celtic was something based on a feeling with the fans, the club, the community and that it really feels like it is a way of living at Celtic. With Liverpool, it is exactly the same. When I had the choice to pick between Liverpool and other clubs, for me it was quite clear that I wanted to come here. I play here and I feel like I play for a lot of people and their lives. I am really proud of being a part of Celtic and Liverpool.”"
Van Dijk makes brilliant admission about his time at Celtic and how it helped him develop as a player
It is safe to say that Van Dijk regards his time at Celtic very highly and is aware of how much it helped him on his journey to the top of the game.
He even came agonisingly close to winning the Ballon d’Or a few years back, only finishing narrowly behind the great Lionel Messi. And it goes without saying that there is no shame in losing out to the Argentine, although many did feel that the Liverpool star deserved it that particular year.
Many even believe that he is the best defender in Premier League history. And at 31 years of age, he has plenty of time to strengthen his case further.