Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been among the world’s best defenders for over half a decade.
Shooting to prominence with Celtic and then Southampton, van Dijk has been in the spine for Liverpool’s most successful era in decades.
| Per year | €13,586,544.40 | £11,440,508 |
| Per month | €1,132,212 | £953,375 |
| Per week | €261,279 | £220,009 |
| Per day | €37,223 | £31,343 |
| Per hour | €1,550 | £1,305 |
| Per minute | €25 | £21 |
A regular football betting favourite for PFA Player of the Year and receiving Ballon d’Or recognition, van Dijk is one of the greatest defenders of his generation.
The Dutchman has rightly been grouped among the top centre backs of the Premier League era, alongside John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, and Vincent Kompany.
Liverpool’s chances in Premier League odds have often depended on van Dijk’s availability.
How Much Is Virgil van Dijk Worth?
Virgil van Dijk’s net worth is reportedly around £42 million. Nearing a decade with Liverpool, it’s no surprise van Dijk is worth an absolute fortune.
He has been one of the highest-paid defenders in world football for most of that spell.
Alongside his playing earnings, van Dijk has what is a very lucrative deal with Nike. He has donned the swoosh for several years.
Other endorsements, including with EA Sports, Heineken, and Expedia, will have added to the Dutchman’s income over the years.
Like other high-profile footballers, there will be no shortage of business opportunities once van Dijk hangs up his boots.
Will he try his hand at coaching? Could he become a stalwart of Sky Sports punditry? Time will tell, but there will be income avenues for van Dijk in the years to come.
Contract & Salary
Virgil van Dijk’s Liverpool contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. Van Dijk is on £220,000 per week, which is the same salary as Rodri, according to Spotrac.
There are 18 Premier League players earning more than van Dijk, including Jadon Sancho, Gabriel Jesus, and Casemiro.
John Stones and Reece James are the only defenders earning more than van Dijk. Given van Dijk’s pedigree and long-term value to Liverpool, that seems a pretty fair wage for the Reds.
He likely could have earned more elsewhere at his peak, but Liverpool have held firm to their wage structure, aside from Mohamed Salah’s latest contract.
There has been no question that van Dijk is happy at Anfield, but the lack of a new contract is understandably concerning Liverpool fans.
Speaking in May, van Dijk spoke about a potential new contract.
“I think there is nothing for me to discuss because there is no news, I think the club is very much busy with who is going to be the new manager and that is the main focus.
“Like I said I am very happy here, I love the club and you can see that as well. It’s a big part of my life already, and that is all I can say.
“The focus is now on the last two and then the club will focus on who the new manager is and there will be a big transition and I am part of that.”
In August, he added that there are ‘no changes at the moment’. It could be a stressful few months for the Anfield faithful with Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold also in the final years of their current deals.
Wife
Virgil van Dijk is married to Rike Nooitgedagt. The couple grew up together in Breda and have been in a relationship since their teenage years.
Like so many partners of professional athletes, Nooitgedagt has had to make sacrifices. When van Dijk moved to Celtic in 2013, she opted to quit her job.
A few years later, she explained the decision.
"I worked as a sales manager and sold different fashion brands to the stores in Holland. I loved it but had to resign to follow my man everywhere football takes him to. So far, we've been settling well and having adventures with our lovely dog."
Injury
Virgil van Dijk was an ironman for the first part of his career aside from an ankle injury that caused him to miss 30 matches in 2017.
He was incredibly durable during his first few years with Liverpool but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in 2020 which threatened to derail his career.
A reckless tackle from Jordan Pickford in a London derby sidelined van Dijk for the best part of a year.
Once he had returned from the layoff, he described the emotions he went through immediately after the injury and when he got the results from his scan.
“You know as a football player, if you have done something with your knee, that’s the worst you can get as a football player. When that moment happened and I was in the van on the way to the clinic to get a scan immediately, I was just praying and hoping there…
“I stood up and I walked and I felt the instability immediately. When I’m walking around the pitch, so I had to go all the way to the corner of the stadium, ‘I’m thinking what can this be? Is this it?’
“As we are in the corner, I couldn’t walk anymore. I was limping. I did all these tests in the dressing room.
“There was a bit of a feeling that it was only going to be the MCL, so the inside. So I had a bit of hope that it could be positive, it could be okay.
“MCL done, three months and you’ll be fine. Euros are coming in the summer. I went for the scan and I went home. I was home alone at that time actually, my wife and kids were back home in Holland. They flew back the next morning just to be with me.
“I got a call from my physio and he said, ‘It’s bad news’. Then the world collapsed. It was very, very tough to deal with.”
Ballon d’Or
Virgil van Dijk finished as runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2019. He won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award in the same year, becoming the first defender to do so.
Unlucky to miss out on the Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi, van Dijk was only seven points behind the Argentine in the voting. He could have been the first defender to win the honour since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
Career Honours
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Scottish Premiership – 2013-14, 2014-15
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Scottish League Cup – 2014-15
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Premier League – 2019-20
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FA Cup – 2021-22
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EFL Cup – 2021-22, 2023-24
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Champions League – 2018-19
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FIFA Club World Cup – 2019
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PFA Players’ Player of the Year – 2018-19
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PFA Team of the Year – 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2023-24
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Premier League Player of the Season – 2018-19
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UEFA Men’s Player of the Year – 2018-19
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Champions League Defender of the Season - 2018-19
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UEFA Team of the Year – 2018, 2019, 2020
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Champions League Team of the Season – 2021-22
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Liverpool Players’ Player of the Season – 2018-19
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Southampton Player of the Season – 2015-16
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PFA Scotland Team of the Year – 2013-14, 2014-15
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FIFA FIFPRO World 11 – 2019, 2020, 2022
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IFFHS Men’s World Team – 2019, 2020, 2022
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IFFHS World Team of the Decade – 2011-20
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IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade – 2011-20
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ESM Team of the Year – 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
