Virgil van Dijk is the captain of the Dutch national team in the qualifying cycle towards the World Cup next year, national coach Louis van Gaal announced on Tuesday at the press conference. Van Dijk has been the captain of the Dutch since 2018, although the band was on Georginio Wijnaldum’s arm due to his knee injury during the European Championship. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder continues as second captain, while Daley Blind is captain number three.
“Yes, that’s it”, Van Gaal answers when asked whether Van Dijk is again the first captain of the Dutch national team. “And the second is Gini Wijnaldum and the third is Daley Blind. I also called those three players first. I left as much as possible what I could leave in the old composition.” Van Dijk was given the captaincy of the then national coach Ronald Koeman in 2018. His successors Dwight Lodeweges and Frank de Boer then also kept confidence in the Liverpool defender, who recently made his comeback at the Reds.
Van Dijk is happy that he is part of the the Dutch selection again, after an absence of almost a year. “It feels like old times, I am very happy to be here with the boys again. It is working towards a very important pot (against Norway, ed.). I have indeed been out for a very long time and had to watch during the European Championship, that was very tough. We did not achieve it at the European Championship, but we have to look forward. I think I am back to my old self, I notice that I am making good steps in that,” said Van Dijk, who was recently praised by Erling Braut Halland.
“I think he is the best defender. A number of people in this room (Haaland joined the press conference on Monday towards the duel with the Dutch, ed.) will undoubtedly agree with me. He is fast, strong and smart, those are the most important aspects you must have. I played against him twice,” it sounded in conversation with TV2. Van Dijk responds to the Norwegian striker’s praise a day later. “Did he say that? Well, that’s nice of him.”