The amazing tale of Virgil van Dijk’s transformation from a dishwashing apprentice at a Breda restaurant to one of the world’s greatest defenders is one of perseverance and hard work. Ten years prior, when he was seventeen years old, Van Dijk would ride his bike to the Uncle Jean restaurant in Breda to work as a pot washer, with the lowest pay being four euros per hour.

Van Dijk persevered in his pursuit of his goals in spite of opposition from Jacques Lips, the owner of the restaurant, who advised him to give up on his dream of becoming a professional football player.

Since then, he has advanced significantly, and his colleagues named him Player of the Year. During his 16-year-old growth spurt, Van Dijk reached a height of 6 feet 4 inches.

Van Dijk was putting in a lot of work in the gym to further his football career while working at the restaurant and participating in Willem II’s academy. His hard work paid off when, at the age of sixteen, he experienced a growth spurt and attained an amazing height of six feet four inches. He bought McDonald’s meals for himself and his pals with his earnings, but he also spent money on driving lessons to increase his alternatives for getting to work.

He was grateful for his career in general and for his life as a professional football player in particular. Van Dijk has shown maturity for a 22-year-old by coming to enjoy life’s small pleasures via hardship.

Willem II nearly cost Celtic £2.6 million in the summer of 2006 because he was too big and too slow for the team. After three years, when he was allowed to resume his profession at Groningen, he lost 2.5 stone and ended up hospitalized for 12 days due to a severe intestinal infection. His lower abdomen still has a scar that is noticeable.

Pool Boy: Virgil van Dijk is grateful for his football lifestyle despite having spent time in the hospital throughout his early career.

Considering that he is currently one of the young, up-and-coming defenders in European football, his tumble on Hogmanay was quite comprehensible.

He said, “This New Year’s Eve, I went to church to say some prayers after spending the night with my girlfriend until ten o’clock.” I said a prayer for everyone I love, including my girlfriend and family.

went to the hotel where we were going to play our game the following day.

I used to go church every Sunday when I was younger, but as I grew older, I quit. However, I think that occasionally, prayer has enabled me to overcome certain difficult circumstances.

When asked to remember the hard times, he raises his Celtic training shirt and reveals two scars.

One is on the right side of his abdomen and measures around three inches in length. The other reaches vertically from under his waist to his belly button.

He pointed to the scar on the right and remarked, “They tried to operate on this one.” They tried, but were unable, so they closed it and moved their operations to this center.

“That was a fantastic surgery.” My abdomen was filled with an abscess.

“I was very sick.” It was considered extremely harmful by the doctors.

I lost approximately 15 kg (33 pounds). The abscess nearly ruptured due to the poisoning of my system. I spent twelve days in the hospital since it was risky. It’s lucky for me that it didn’t blow up.

However, I had several drains put into my body. Given that it appeared out of nowhere, it was a concerning period.

They thought it was just a stomach ache, so they gave me the wrong kind of medication.

After that, I had some green stuff in my stomach for two days. My stomach grew soft and mushy. Upon my return to the medics, several pee tests were conducted.

“They did not find anything, but I had to go to the hospital the next day because I could not stay at home due to my pain.”

“They said I needed the surgery.”

A trying moment: Van Dijk needed surgery to remove an abscess in his abdomen because he was quite sick.

Although he remembers the process taking place on April 1, it was a significant event for the 19-year-old football player to make his league debut. It should go without saying that the day will hold significance forever. It was also on June 23 that he realized he was in no way prepared to go back.

“I was terrible when I started training again.” He remarked, “I had no power, no muscles—nothing.” But I did participate in every preseason game, and I eventually got better. Coming back was such a wonderful feeling.

Celtic and Ajax were interested in him in just three years. Frank de Boer retreated, but Neil Lennon moved.

Van Dijk has proven to be the best summer recruit after accepting a £2.6 million contract. Quick, powerful in the air, and an astute watcher of English game reports, he declared on Wednesday that Arsenal and Manchester City are now expressing interest.

Van Dijk responds that he is “flattered” but remains unconvinced. Even before the abscess, he had taught himself to live in the present.

“When I was younger, at 16, I was a little slow at Willem II, and they thought I was too small,” he continued. They played me at right back and almost had me sent off.

“I was sixteen at the time. I found it to be a really dangerous moment because they were talking about sending me away.

“I was one of the weakest players on the team. I wasn’t a very good player. I was small and slow, not very good.

“I didn’t play any video games. They were about to release me.

“But the next season, I gained 20 centimetres in height. I had problems with my knees because of the growth spurt.

“But after I got past it, everything became better. I grabbed hold of the chance Willem presented to me. I became the group’s leader.

More importantly, he resumed playing centre defence, which he had always believed to be his best position. During his teenage years, he participated in every sport available and excelled in each of them. But he had always known that he was a gifted football player.

“I was the kind of boy who could do anything,” he exclaimed. I was good at badminton, basketball, tennis, and swimming.

I could do everything I wanted to do. In order to get ready to become a coach, I then enrolled in a sports trainer course at my high school.As a result, I had to play a lot of sports, which I did for a while.

All sports are enjoyable for me to play, but basketball is my favourite. I’m a huge basketball fan. I don’t think I could have finished it in a competent way.

“Playing football has always been my goal.” When we played at school, I was generally one of the better players in the class.

However, he acknowledges that doubt began to creep into his mind as a result of the growing discomfort at Willem II and the nausea at Groningen.

He shrugged and responded, “I might have gone back to school,” when asked what he would have done if everything had ended suddenly.

“I can no longer fathom the kind of life I would have had if I hadn’t decided to play football.”

It would have been very strange. I am appreciative of what I now have. I get to do what I love, which is why I love my life now.

I get paid to do what I love, too. It is, in fact, a beautiful possession.

“Everything happens for a reason, so maybe this experience was meant to be.”

But I learned a lot from that. I think that as a person, I’ve come a long way.

Van Dijk admits he doesn’t know what he would have done if it weren’t for football.

He’s also a happier one. His work is going well, and he’s finding it easier to acclimatise to Glasgow with the help of his girlfriend, Rike Nooitgedagt.

“I’m happy she came along; having someone here to support you with everything is important,” he remarked. “She works hard at her job and takes time off to relax before travelling to Scotland with me.”

For me, she had to resign from her position as sales manager in Holland. There, she made a big choice, and I respect it.

“She is here, which is really important, and I think that’s the main reason I have settled in so well.”

Fast forward to the present, and Van Dijk has established himself as a world-class defender. In January of the previous year, he made a move to Liverpool from Southampton, becoming the most expensive defender in history at the time. Van Dijk’s performances have been exceptional, earning him accolades such as the PFA Player of the Year and the BBC’s Player of the Year. His impact on the Liverpool team has been significant, as he aims to help the club win their first league title in 29 years.