Virgil van Dijk's anger at Erling Haaland remark explains his Matthijs de Ligt reaction

Virgil van Dijk is hailed for his no-nonsense style both on and off the field, earning respect for his unwavering approach. And his candid nature was apparent following the Netherlands’ recent 2-2 stalemate with Germany.

In the aftermath, Van Dijk did not mince words regarding his fellow centre back Matthijs de Ligt’s role in conceding the goals. He told reporters: “This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment, but at the highest level you will get punished for it.”

It’s not the first time Van Dijk has been a proponent of blunt honesty. After Liverpool outscored Red Bull Salzburg in a thrilling 4-3 match in 2019, the 33-year-old cut short an interview with Jan Age Fjortoft when pressed about Erling Haaland’s performance.

Recounting the incident on the Blood Red podcast (via The Mirror), Fjortoft recalled: “After the game, I interviewed Van Dijk… and I said ‘I have to ask you about the Norwegian, Erling Haland,’ and he just said, ‘Well, we won the game.’ So I said, ‘Yes, but what do you think about him?'”

Van Dijk responded: “‘I didn’t see a lot of him,’ and he was a bit angry because there were some mistakes made, and I said, ‘It’s a good sign for a striker when a defender says he didn’t see him!’ And then he just walked away.”

Such unwavering determination is characteristic of the winning mentality that has shaped Van Dijk’s career. He has never been one to entertain baseless chatter or excuse his colleagues’ shortcomings, as demonstrated by his response to the Netherlands’ loss to Austria at Euro 2024.

Not one to sugar-coat the situation, he said: “It was just a bad evening. We are all responsible, it shouldn’t happen, but it did, and that’s bad.”

Van Dijk is evidently someone who sets high standards for himself and those around him. After being named Liverpool club captain last summer, he told the club’s official website the importance of maintaining standards and clarified the team’s success was due to their collective work ethic and discipline.

These high standards were on display when the Reds clinched the Premier League title for the first time in 2020. Their crowning moment was almost ruined due to the global outbreak of Covid-19, which briefly paused top-flight football, leading some to call for the season to be restarted.

After finally lifting the trophy once football resumed, a steadfast Van Dijk couldn’t conceal his satisfaction at silencing Liverpool’s critics. “No one can say anything now,” he told Sky Sports defiantly. “We had a few games where we should have done better, but we shouldn’t focus on that. We’ve had a fantastic season. We only lost twice, so like I said, no one can say anything about us. We are well-deserving champions. We won by a mile.”

Defending oneself with the same vigour as one would defend a team-mate is a bold move, especially when facing criticism from national football icons. However, Van Dijk did just that after receiving negative comments from Dutch legends Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit.

Following some less-than-stellar performances for the Netherlands, Van Basten criticised Van Dijk for a lack of leadership, saying he “makes noise but doesn’t say anything” and “creates chaos that leads to misunderstandings”. Van Dijk didn’t hold back in his reply.

“This [Van Basten’s comment] is of no use to me,” he told Ziggo Sport. “Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion these days, that’s the case. [But] did I set the bar unrealistically high?

“Football players know that better than anyone, have high peaks and deep valleys. It’s quite normal that you can’t always play consistently. That you have a phase as a club or player where you are looking for your level. People should not forget that. It is normal that people make mistakes, that it is part of football and that it is very human.”

Around the same period, Gullit had cast doubts over Van Dijk’s mentality, suggesting the star defender believed he was superior to his international team-mates. This drew a resolute reply from Van Dijk, who replied: “I have nothing to say on that. I set high standards. People try to hold me to that, so that’s what I try to do.”