Virgil van Dijk is no stranger to bearing the brunt of personal criticism from Dutch media, but even he must be gobsmacked at one broadside which has been penned about him by a columnist from his homeland.
The Liverpool captain, who also skippers his native Netherlands, recently described himself as ‘the big leader in both teams’ as he appeared to reaffirm his commitment to both club and country.
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However, Valentijn Driessen of De Telegraaf launched an extraordinary diatribe at the 33-year-old in his latest column for the publication, writing: “True leaders prefer to let others judge their leadership. People who call themselves the ‘great leader’ are often overblown narcissists with dubious reputations.
“Van Dijk cannot be classified under that heading. The fact that he spoke of himself as a ‘great leader’ seemed ridiculous and at the same time touching. It looked like chest-thumping, but rather stemmed from insecurity.
“No-one questions Van Dijk’s leadership at the national team. The fact that he felt it necessary to emphasise his leadership means that the hierarchy at the Dutch national team will not change substantially.”
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Van Dijk is far too experienced and mature to take such rantings personally – if anything, he’s probably laughing out loud at the hot air of Driessen’s remarks.
To us, the Liverpool captain’s recent comments weren’t about blowing his own trumpet, but rather indicating that he wishes to remain at Anfield beyond the end of his current contract next year and continue playing with Netherlands until the 2026 World Cup at least.
It’s nonetheless a low blow from the columnist in question, who instead of offering a constructive critiquing of any performances for the national team has instead resorted to a petty personal jibe at the 33-year-old.
It’s baffling to us how Van Dijk is pilloried so regularly among some of the Dutch media when we watch him perform with such brilliance consistently at Anfield. Granted, he was poor by his own standards in 2022/23 and can be culpable for occasional errors, but those are few and far between.
Thankfully, he’s a more than strong enough character to let that column from Driessen wash off his back rather than taking it to heart. We look forward to witnessing the captain lead the way on the pitch for us throughout the season, and hopefully beyond next summer.
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