Today, Virgil van Dijk is regarded as one of the world’s top centre-backs and has a compelling argument to be referred to as “first among equals.” However, getting there was not simple.

When the player in question, Van Dijk, was younger, even he could not have predicted how fast his career would develop. But how did Van Dijk become to be so successful?

The 27-year-old Dutch player began his career at Willem II’s junior academy before joining FC Groningen.

In just ten years, Virgil van Dijk went from being a pot washer to becoming the most expensive defender in the world – Irish Mirror Online

Virgil van Dijk went from being the world’s most expensive defender to a pot washer in the span of ten years, and back again.

He never felt comfortable when he was growing up. First of all, expanding larger was not a simple task.

“My knee did not feel very stable.” I had lower back pain. He talked about how he had a lot of issues prior to going to actual treatment and isolating himself from the outside world for six weeks in his most recent interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. “After that, I played better on the pitch.”

But unlike his regular style of play in the midst of the defence, Van Dijk was still a young player. He would change jobs frequently, just like a lot of his fellow compatriots. For instance, knowing that Ruud van Nistelrooy began his career as a custodian helps to explain his harsh successes in the field.

It wasn’t all that horrible in regards to Van Dijk. He was trapped at right back and was not exactly a model modern full-back, so a job move was never going to happen. His strong suit has always been defence.

When he was sixteen, he claimed he was a plodding right back who wasn’t talented enough to play centre back. I was a decent player who did not particularly stand out before I was named captain of the U19 squad at Willem II.

From then on, things improved significantly. After my little stint with the U23s, everything happened quite swiftly.

It did pass by swiftly. He was a member of FC Groningen’s first team for 66 games. During his career, he demonstrated promising traits.