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Virgil van Dijk: Career Stats, Clubs and Honours

Virgil van Dijk career statistics, clubs, senior international record, major honours, playing style and all-time defender ranking case.

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Virgil van Dijk football portrait
Photo: Ailura Wikimedia Commons source CC BY-SA 3.0 at Displayed with a CSS crop for layout.

Summary

Van Dijk combines recovery pace, aerial control and calm distribution in a profile built for defending large spaces.

Quick facts

Primary role
Centre back
Senior career
2011–present
Major clubs
Groningen, Celtic, Southampton, Liverpool
Senior national record
96 caps / 13 goals for Netherlands
Defenders ranking
#10 in The Top Football's all-time list

Verified record

Career statistics

Senior club league appearances and goals, plus official senior international caps and goals.

Senior club league record
Club Years Apps Goals
Groningen 2011–2013 62 7
Celtic 2013–2015 76 9
Southampton 2015–2018 67 4
Liverpool 2018–2026 272 27
Club total 477 47
Senior international record
National team Years Caps Goals
Netherlands 2015–2026 96 13

Major team honours

  • Celtic Scottish Premiership ×2
  • Liverpool Premier League ×2
  • Liverpool Champions League ×1
  • Liverpool FA Cup ×1
  • Liverpool League Cup ×2
  • Liverpool FIFA Club World Cup ×1

Van Dijk is active. Club and international figures are a July 15, 2026 snapshot and should be refreshed after the next competitive appearance.

Stats sources: Premier League — Virgil van Dijk stats .

Career path

Van Dijk progressed through Groningen, Celtic and Southampton before Liverpool made him the centre of a rebuilt defence in 2018. He became captain, passed 370 club appearances by June 2026 and helped the club win major honours in England, Europe and the world.

Playing style

He often wins without tackling. Van Dijk delays the carrier, protects the highest-value lane and trusts his speed to keep both the pass and the dribble under control.

International record

Van Dijk captains the Netherlands and entered the 2026 World Cup close to 100 senior caps. The figures on this page use a dated July 15 snapshot because his international and Liverpool totals remain active.

All-time ranking case

His peak offers one of the clearest modern examples of a defender changing the risk level an entire team can accept. That is the basis for placing him at number 10 in our best football defenders of all time ranking.

Sources

Sources checked