Virgil Van Dijk hasn’t set foot in Glasgow since leaving Celtic in 2015. And when he returns to the city on Wednesday night, it’s fair to say the welcome he gets down Govan way won’t exactly be warm. But even the most hostile reception at Ibrox won’t sour van Dijk’s memories of being here.
In fact, the Dutch defender holds the place close to his heart in more ways than one. It’s not just about the triple trophy success he had at Celtic during a two-year stint. And it’s not only because his daughter, Nila, was born here. For van Dijk, Glasgow is what made him the player and person he is today.
The captain of Holland is widely regarded as the best centre-back in the world right now. He’s Liverpool’s lynchpin at the back and was a cornerstone of their Premier League and Champions League triumphs under Jurgen Klopp.
But he says his move to Celtic almost a decade ago was integral to his development. In midweek, he’ll face Rangers at Ibrox in the Champions League, a venue he didn’t get to sample when he was here last. And as he prepared for the Battle of Britain clash, he revealed why Glasgow means so much to him.
He said: “It’s going to be my first time going back there, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll see lots of friends in Glasgow. The city means a lot to me. It was my first time going abroad and the first time I won trophies in my career. All of those things were massive for me. They shaped me, how I am as a person.
“I’ve also got my daughter, who was born there. So I have so many good memories that I’ll cherish forever. It will be great to go back. Before Celtic, I played for FC Groningen for a long time. They’re a mid-table club in Holland - sometimes you defend a lot, sometimes you attack.
“But it was nothing like what I had to get used to at Celtic. At Celtic, the pressure was immense. If you don’t win, you lose. Because if you draw, you’ve lost. We had to win and that was something - that mentality - that I definitely learned at Celtic.
“It was also about learning how to play the British style, with more direct channel balls and a lot of fighting headers. That was something I wasn’t used to in Holland either. So it definitely helped me in order to be ready for my next step in the Premier League.”
The passion for football in Glasgow is maybe only matched by Liverpool in the UK. Van Dijk certainly feels both hotbeds are similar and he revealed that was a reason for him eventually ending up at Anfield via Southampton. He’ll feel it from the Rangers support on Wednesday night and the 31-year-old is desperate to return to Merseyside with another victory.
The Reds beat Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side 2-0 last week in the reverse fixture and van Dijk said: “Glasgow is similar to Liverpool, 100 percent. And maybe that’s one of the reasons that I picked Liverpool as my next club. I really feel that my step to Celtic was something based on a feeling with the fans, the club and the community.
“It really feels like a way of living at Celtic. And with Liverpool, it’s exactly the same. When I had the choice to come here and pick between Liverpool and other clubs, it was quite clear that I wanted to come here. When I play here, I feel like I play for a lot of people and their lives. So I’m really proud of being part of Celtic and Liverpool.
“I never played at Ibrox when I was in Glasgow. I played at Hampden in a semi-final and it was quite comfortable (2-0 win). Obviously, it’s going to be a great atmosphere because they’re back in the Champions League for the first time in many years.
“But when you think about it, as a little boy you wanted to play in these games. The Champions League is the highest stage, it’s a sold-out stadium with a crazy atmosphere. So let’s go for it. I don’t think the Rangers fans will forget that I played for Celtic! Listen, it happens, you have to accept it. The only thing I can do is focus on the game and that’s what I’ll do. Hopefully, we’ll get the win.”
Van Dijk expects to see a different Rangers team in midweek to the one that turned up at Anfield. Van Bronckhorst’s men failed to lay a glove on Liverpool who won comfortably thanks to goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah. But the Dutchman will warn his team-mates of the noise set to greet them in Govan. And he’s convinced if they get through that, Klopp’s side will pick up another three points.
Van Dijk said: “We know it’s going to be a tough game and the fans over there, especially the first 10, 15, 20 minutes, will be hard on us. So we have to be ready for that storm. We know what to expect. It is going to be difficult and we have to be ready for it, especially in the beginning. We have to manage it and be ready for that storm. We know how we can create a storm here at Anfield with our fans and they will try to do the same.”
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