Video'Backyard Dreams': How Virgil van Dijk's winning mentality began at home
The Liverpool captain has, of course, become one of the most highly rated centre-backs of his generation, lifting a raft of honours with the Reds, including Premier League and Champions League glory.
Earlier this week, his professional peers voted him into the FIFPRO Men’s World11 for the fourth time since 2019.
His desire to be the best was there at a young age, with the familiar circumstance of sibling competitiveness setting the Dutchman on a path to world acclaim.
“It was a small back garden, I always used to play with my little brother, who is two years younger than me,” Van Dijk says of his childhood home, in Backyard Dreams, presented by LFC’s official lawn care partner, Husqvarna.
“I used him a little bit as a goalkeeper most of the time!
“[I was] a nuisance at times [as a kid] but I think in a good way. That winning mentality I think was very important and also brought me where I am today.”
Are there any lessons the young Van Dijk learned that he now continues to use in the pursuit of winning at the highest levels every three days?
“To keep going,” he replies. “The mindset [is] always try to improve, that winning mentality you learn when you’re younger.
“If I look back at the career I’ve had so far, I’m appreciative of a lot of things and especially the fact I can play at Anfield each week, be the captain of the club. It’s something I will never take for granted.
“So, I just enjoy it to the max and to the fullest, and let’s see.”
Watch the full episode of Backyard Dreams with Van Dijk in the video above.