THIS ONE’S Van Dijk dedicates title to world-beating Reds fans
EXCLUSIVE
DAILY STAR SUNDAY, July 5, 2020
VIRGIL VAN DIJK is about to realise his lifelong dream.
But when Liverpool’s brilliant Dutch defender finally lifts the Premier League trophy, his thoughts will turn to the millions of fans around the world who have waited 30 years to see their team crowned champions of England.
Van Dijk, 28, loves the passion that pours down from the Kop every time Jurgen Klopp’s men run out at Anfield. But it was only when he travelled to other parts of the globe that he got understood the sheer scale of the club.
Van Dijk said: “I have always said that lifting the Premier League trophy would be a dream. That dream has become reality now.
“It is hard to explain when this means. You have to feel this club, experience it, taste it.
“Before I came here, you have a kind of picture of the club from a distance and you imagine it is something massive.
“Once you first play against Liverpool, like I did when I was at Southampton, things start to sink in.
“The stadium, the people, You’ll Never Walk Alone. All that is absolutely fantastic and yet you are still bewildered and surprised by the sheer magnitude of the club once you sign here.
“And even after that it takes time to take everything the club stands for on board.”
The Holland centre-back started to get the message on trips abroad after joining the Reds two-and-a-half years ago.
He added: “Never before have I been on holiday with so many people coming up to me.
“All day long people approached me telling me that they were Liverpool fans.
“At one point eight out of 10 people who I bumped into were Liverpool fans.
“It was a funny experience but the real shock came when we went to the United States for our tour. Everyone in America was crazy about Liverpool.
“We were playing in Michigan, one of the biggest stadiums in the world, and it was filled with Liverpool fans.
“After that tour it dawned on me that I was now playing for one of the biggest football clubs in the world.”
Liverpool have thrilled fans with a brilliant brand of football under Klopp.
Over the past two seasons they have become champions of England, Europe and the world.
Van Dijk says the secret of their success is the sheer hard work that Klopp demands in training.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf he said: “All the stories about his training, the way he has made us so much fitter are true. “I call it the German style, running, running and more running. Never in my life have I had to train so hard. “I remember three training sessions a day in France and on top of all that hard work we were getting drilled in meetings with tactical talks. “Those went on and on. When I finally got home I was totally kaput but I have to admit I have seen the benefit of it all throughout the season.” And Van Dijk has revealed how club medics make him feel like a pregnant woman! Klopp’s sports science team leave nothing to chance and from dietary advice to checking body fat, every measurement is as precise as a Trent Alexander-Arnold assist.
Van Dijk added: “When I was in Holland, when they used to measure my fat percentage they used to stick those little clamps on the skin of your belly.
“But at Liverpool they lay you down like a pregnant woman on a table and they start doing ultrasound.
“They can check your fat by the millimetre.
“We also have a dietician who used to work at Bayern Munich.
“When the sports scientist is telling us things about our diets, everyone is listening to her – because it works. “Everyone realises you have to stay top fit and that you get in trouble if you are not.
“After a Champions League match, we have four days to recover, physically and mentally. “Twenty per cent of recovery is resting and 80 per cent is about following a good diet.
“Every player at Liverpool has his own special diet and by doing tests all the time we can see how fit we are.”