Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk Labelled Manchester United ‘Warrior’ as His Football Hero

In to his seventh year as a Liverpool player, Virgil van Dijk has unquestionably established himself as one of the greatest-ever defenders in football. The Dutchman moved to Liverpool in 2018, for what was then a world-record fee for a defender, from fellow Premier League side Southampton.

Many questions were asked about the price tag on van Dijk’s head at first, but the defender has done more than enough to silence any critics in the years since. A Dutch international since 2015, van Dijk has been an integral part of Liverpool since his arrival and helped return the club to a position of winning honours.

At the time of writing, van Dijk has freshly captained Liverpool to their second-ever Premier League title, with the Reds finally able to celebrate such an achievement in front of fans. The defender also recently extended his contract by a further two years, which would see van Dijk close in on a decade of service to Liverpool.

An incredible defender, van Dijk will have either watched or played with some exceptional talent in his years and once revealed which player he viewed as a hero when he was younger.

‘He Was The Warrior’

Virgil full of praise for former Dutch defender

Back in 2022, van Dijk spoke with Gary Neville on The Overlap YouTube channel and Neville asked van Dijk which centre-back he would choose from history as his partner in defence, and who was his hero in his youth.

In response, van Dijk said:

“I think as a Dutch guy watching the national team, Jaap Stam, for me he was the warrior. If you think about Jaap Stam, you think, he’s like three metres tall and he would run through a brick (wall). That’s what I thought back in the day as well, so I would say him, but there are so many (good choices).”

Like van Dijk, Jaap Stam was a towering central defender in his career. Stam started his career in his native country, joining PSV in 1996 where he showcased his ability to the wider world. After two years with the club, Stam moved to England when he joined Manchester United in 1998.

It took little time for Stam to become a key member of the Man United first team. The Dutchman was part of the historic European treble-winning side of the 1998/99 season, his first campaign with the club.

A consistent feature for his national team between 1996 and 2004, Stam departed Old Trafford in 2001, enjoying spells at Lazio, Milan and Ajax before retiring in 2007. In his hero, van Dijk idolised a player that many would come to compare him to, such has the quality of both players been.

(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 30/04/2025)

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