Virgil van Dijk will be fondly remembered for what he did in the colours of Celtic.
The whole world knows about the Liverpool captain now, because he has gone on to become one of the great defenders of his time, including winning another Premier League title this season.
But remember, it was Celtic who first spotted van Dijk, from those on British soil, when they brought him to Glasgow from FC Groningen in 2013.
From the get-go, then-manager Neil Lennon made it clear that van Dijk wouldn’t last long at Celtic because he was just levels above everybody else, and that proved to be the case.
That calm nature in which the Dutchman plays the game today was deployed during his time with the Scottish champions, and he provided some great moments.
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
The SPFL’s official post recognising Virgil van Dijk’s Celtic brilliance
One of van Dijk’s standout moments for the Hoops came at Easter Road when he netted a stunning free-kick against Hibernian.
That was a sign of things to come from the two-time title winner at Celtic, with the Bhoys going on to win that match 4-0.
And the SPFL’s official channel on social media reminded everyone of that moment, with this great post.
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How many free-kick goals has van Dijk scored in his career?
It’s fair to say that van Dijk isn’t your usual defender, and he defines what the modern player brings, including being able to play out from the back.
But not many have the ability to score from dead-ball situations, because van Dijk certainly had that when he was in Scotland.
It’s crazy to think that, since moving to the Premier League, playing for Southampton and then Liverpool, that he hasn’t scored a free-kick again, but he hardly takes them, even though his record suggests otherwise.
Club Competition Against Position Minute Score after the free-kick was scored End result
FC Groningen Play-offs Conference League ADO The Hague RB 51 2-1 8-5 win on pens
Celtic Premiership Hibernian CB 77 0-2 0-4 win
Celtic Scottish Cup Inverness CB 18 0-1 3-2 loss AET
Celtic Premiership Dundee CB 63 0-2 1-2 win
Stats: Transfermarkt