Virgil van Dijk Targets More Silverware With Liverpool

Just before completing his move to Liverpool in January of 2018, Virgil van Dijk surely had dreams. He knew he was coming into a Jurgen Klopp Liverpool side that was on the up. He knew that he could be a vital cog in a machine that was unbalanced and shipping too many goals. He knew, at the very least, he’d be making more money than at Southampton.

However, no matter how optimistic Van Dijk was, it’s hard to imagine he could have predicted that he’d be playing in his second consecutive Champions League final within 18 months.

And now that he has a taste of that glorious success, he wants more. Not only is he reportedly working on a new deal to remain a Red for the foreseeable future, but he’s gone on to declare that this first trophy is just the beginning.

“I’m feeling good, I had a good season, a good year,” he told the media in a pre-UEFA Nations League semifinal press conference. “For me, it’s just the start.

“I want to keep doing what I’m doing, keep progressing, keep working hard and hopefully win a lot more trophies with Liverpool but also the national team.”

A lot more trophies with Liverpool. I like the sound of that. For a club that both prides itself on its trophy haul—and one that has had far too little silvery things in recent campaigns—that’s music to our ears.

It’s also quite the statement for other players who might be thinking about coming to Liverpool. Like, I don’t know, international teammate Matthijs de Ligt, just to name a random example.

Former Everton manager and current Dutch team manager, Ronald Koeman, thinks Van Dijk’s success and form can only bode well for the player’s career in both club and country.

“It’s all about winning big titles and that [winning the Champions League] was for him the first step, the first big title and let’s hope in the future he will win more,” Koeman said. “For the youth in Holland he’s a big example.”

Holland’s youth. Like De Ligt? Asking for a friend.