Virgil van Dijk: This is the start - I want to win more trophies
Virgil van Dijk wants to make Liverpool's Champions League triumph the beginning of a habit of medal collecting in the years ahead.
Shortly after helping the Reds defeat Tottenham Hotspur and clinch a sixth European Cup in Madrid last Saturday, the centre-back joined up with Netherlands for the UEFA Nations League.
At a pre-match press conference before the Dutch face England tonight he was quizzed on his being compared by some to the greatest defenders of the modern era.
But Van Dijk rejected those suggestions and explained how his thoughts are concentrated on gaining more silverware for club and country.
“I don’t think I’m in that category yet, or at all at the moment,” he said. “But I’m feeling good, I had a good season, a good year. 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 first trophy with the Reds followed a Premier League campaign in which Van Dijk helped Jürgen Klopp’s side rack up 97 points with the meanest defence in the division.
He was also named PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season, and was voted Liverpool’s star man by both his teammates and the fans.
“Virgil is doing great,” said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman.
“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. For the youth in Holland he’s a big example.”