Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk surpassed a memorable milestone with the Netherlands
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk hit a memorable Netherlands milestone during the international break.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk hit a memorable Netherlands milestone during the international break.(Image: (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images))
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk marked his 100th cap for the Netherlands with a special family moment, walking out before the clash with Serbia with his son.
The 35-year-old defender captained his side to a 2-1 win in the Nations League and became just the 11th male Dutch player to reach a century of caps.
Former Real Madrid and Inter Milan playmaker, Wesley Sneijder, leads the way as the Netherlands' all-time record appearance holder with 134, while former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt is eighth in the list with 104 caps.
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Van Dijk was able to celebrate the occasion by walking out with his son in a special moment before kick off, with the youngster carrying out the nation's pennant.
Both the Liverpool defender and his son had huge smiles on their face, before Van Dijk got down to business and helped his side to a 2-1 win.
The Netherlands ran out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Teun Koopmeiners and Joshua Zirkzee, with Mihajlo Cvetković on target for the visitors.
The win moves Xavi's side top of Group B with two wins and two draws from their opening four games in the Nations League, level on points with Greece.
Serbia are bottom of the group while Jurgen Klopp's Germany have taken five points from their opening four games and know they need to win both of their upcoming games to stand any chance of topping the group.
Virgil van Dijk of The Netherlands shows excitement during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Netherlands and Serbia
Virgil van Dijk hit a career milestone for the Netherlands during the international break(Image: (Photo by Yannick Verhoeven/Newhouse Media/MB Media/Getty Images))
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They may just be four games into his tenure, but there are encouraging signs from the Netherlands under Xavi following a disappointing last few years.
When asked about Van Dijk reaching the aforementioned milestone, the former Barcelona midfielder told Voetbal International: "It is an emotional day for him too. I am so happy for him.
"And I am happy to be working with him. He is a true leader. Just like Denzel Dumfries, by the way. Virgil reaches 100 caps.
"Something like that is an incredible achievement. We will put him in the spotlight after the match. Then the congratulations will come. Virgil is an absolute leader. I appreciate him very much.”