Virgil van Dijk was born in Breda, Netherlands, on 8 July 1991 (age 35). A commanding 6ft 4in (1.93m) central defender, he began his senior career with FC Groningen before Celtic brought him to Glasgow in July 2013 for around £2.5m.
His Celtic spell was short, but it mattered. Van Dijk arrived as a developing defender and left two years later as a player ready for a stronger league, joining Southampton in September 2015 for around £12m. Celtic did well out of him on the pitch and rather better in the accounts, which is not always how these things go.
Southampton gave him his next step, but Liverpool is where his career has been shaped most clearly. Across 10 seasons at Anfield, he has made 277 league appearances and scored 27 league goals, becoming a long-term fixture in the centre of their defence rather than a passing expensive solution.
His most productive league season came in 2025-2026, when he scored six goals in 38 league appearances for Liverpool. In 2026-2027, he remains part of the first-team picture, with five league appearances and 10 appearances across all competitions, including Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League matches.
Van Dijk has also remained active with the Netherlands, featuring this season in World Cup, World Cup qualifying and Nations League matches, with goals in each of those international strands. His career has run from Groningen to Celtic, on to Southampton, and then into a long established period at Liverpool, where he remains relevant in his mid-thirties.
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