Virgil van Dijk has been appointed as the new captain of Liverpool, with Trent Alexander-Arnold named as the vice-captain in a decision made by Jurgen Klopp, who has chosen van Dijk as the successor to Jordan Henderson.
The Dutch defender will be stepping into the role left vacant by Henderson, who recently made a move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, where he signed a substantial £700,000-per-week deal.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2018 and has since become one of the club’s standout performers, contributing to the team’s victory in the Premier League and the attainment of the sixth Champions League trophy.
Assuming the captaincy, van Dijk becomes Liverpool’s first defender to lead the team since Sami Hyypia vacated the position in 2003.
Following his appointment as captain, van Dijk expressed his pride to Liverpoolfc.com in Singapore, stating, “It’s a really proud day for me, for my wife, for my kids, my family. It’s been a special feeling and I can’t really describe it at this point. But it’s something that I’m really, really proud of.”
“Obviously, I’m captain of Holland, that was already such a huge honour, a proud moment as well. But also to be the captain of Liverpool Football Club is something that I can’t describe at this point. It’s just something that makes me very proud and I will do everything in my power and what I can do to make everyone proud and happy with me and the football club.”
Should van Dijk be unavailable for matches next season, the captain’s duties will be taken on by Alexander-Arnold, who will provide support as the vice-captain.
