Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk is not in the top 15 of the best Netherlands players all time, despite securing World Cup qualification on Monday.
That’s according to journalist Valentijn Driessen, via Soccer News, who isn’t putting the Liverpool captain in his top Dutch players just yet.
This week was a good one for Van Dijk as he led the Dutch to World Cup qualification but also became the Dutch international with the most appearances as captain. Both facts, plus his impressive club career with Liverpool, have him as a ‘true Dutch legend’.
Driessen is having none of that, though. He’s a fan of the Liverpool star but doesn’t think he’s better than other Dutch icons.
“Definitely not,” he said when asked if Van Dijk is one of the ‘top fifteen’.
“Only he’s a very big international, because he’s captained the team the most times. So that’s quite an achievement, of course. And he didn’t join the Dutch national team at a young age. He became captain very quickly under Koeman.
“Frank de Boer and Jaap Stam are all above the rest. Virgil van Dijk has won a lot, but Frank de Boer, among others, has reached much higher positions in the Dutch national team.
“They were in a World Cup semi-final, a European Championship semi-final. Frank de Boer brought more to a team. He’s more than a defender.”
There is one area Driessen believes Van Dijk is at the top of the charts, though. And that’s as a leader of the team.
No man has ever played more games as captain for the Dutch than the Liverpool defender. Indeed, Van Dijk has only played 16 games for his country and not been captain.
He’s likely to add to his tally of 72 and further cement that status too. But Driessen is more impressed by the thing she does off the pitch as well.
“As a leader, he’s above all discussion,” he added.
“No one will doubt that within the Dutch national team. He also does a lot of things we don’t see. We see him giving instructions on the pitch, but he’s always focused on the Dutch team. He sends messages to players who are feeling well or not. He picks that up.”
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— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) November 19, 2025