Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick in the Champions League to strengthen his case at Liverpool, while Virgil van Dijk knows what it could mean for the future of the club's $163M man
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool looks on during the warm up before the Premier League 2026/27 match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Vitality Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk believes Bradley Barcola’s Champions League hat-trick will impact his performances(Image: Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk believes Bradley Barcola’s Champions League hat-trick will make a “massive” difference to the Liverpool forward as he continues to adjust to the pressure of his $163 million price tag.
Barcola scored his first goals for the Reds with a clinical treble in their 6-3 Champions League victory over LASK in Austria on Wednesday evening. The 24-year-old had failed to find the net in his first six appearances since joining Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window.
Although Barcola has not always shown his emotions since arriving at Anfield, Van Dijk believes the three-goal haul could provide a significant confidence boost for the France international.
"It's massive for him," he said. "He's very introverted anyway. He won't express his feelings too much but everyone knows that will help him so much. Hopefully there are many more hat-tricks to come. It's about creating the environment where he can express himself on the pitch.
"As a footballer, you always want to be out there, showing what you can do. For him, scoring goals is a big part of his game. To get a hat-trick in the Champions League is a great thing for him and for us."
Barcola is only the sixth player to open their Liverpool scoring account by netting a hat-trick, with Divock Origi in 2015 the most recent previous Red to achieve the feat.
In August, he became the second most expensive player in Liverpool’s history after signing for an initial fee of $140 million, with a further $23 million in potential add-ons.
Bradley Barcola of Liverpool celebrates after scoring their team's fifth goal and their third for a hattrick during the UEFA Champions League
Barcola has been praised for his display in Liverpool's win over LASK(Image: (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Van Dijk previously held the club’s transfer record after joining from Southampton for $95 million in January 2018 and can relate to the pressure facing Liverpool’s new arrival. "Yeah, you can share experiences for sure," he said. "It's about helping each other to succeed. We're in it together. Bradley is getting into it now. He'll be absolutely fine."
Liverpool registered 19 first-half shots, the most by an away team before half-time in a Champions League match since records began in 2003. Van Dijk, however, was limited to a second-half cameo, coming off the bench alongside fellow center-back Joe Gomez with the Reds already 4-0 ahead.
The Liverpool captain was impressed by the performance of an inexperienced starting line-up, with Trey Nyoni and goalscorer Lewis Koumas making their full Champions League debuts, while Rio Ngumoha made only his second start in the competition.
"I'm really happy for everyone," he said. "Trey, Rio, Lewis, working so hard, and I was happy for Lewis to get that goal. Happy days. There were so many good things tonight that should get attention. The credit the young boys get is well deserved.
"Obviously Joe and I made it interesting after we came on after 60 minutes but sometimes these things happen. Now it's time to go recover. We don't have too much time before we face Brentford in another tough game on Saturday."