Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool is my team, Anfield is my home
Virgil van Dijk declared ‘Liverpool is my team and Anfield is my home’ on the eve of the Champions League final.
The Reds’ No.4 joined manager Jürgen Klopp and captain Jordan Henderson in facing the world’s media at Kiev’s NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Real Madrid.
Van Dijk, of course, has played a significant role in helping Liverpool to their eighth final in European football’s premier club competition since he arrived on Merseyside in January.
Among other topics, the Netherlands captain was asked how he is finding life at Anfield on Friday afternoon.
Read on for a summary of what Van Dijk had to say throughout the press conference…
On whether Liverpool’s win in Istanbul 13 years ago today serves as an added motivation ahead of Saturday’s final…
Well I don’t think we need extra motivation for tomorrow. I think everybody’s ready and everybody’s looking forward to it. It’s a fantastic game to play, not a lot of players in their career can play these kind of games and we’re here now. We want to give everything that we have and hopefully it will be the right result.
On whether he has adopted a leadership role in the squad in the build-up to the clash with Real…
I think outside of the pitch I just like to be relaxed. That’s a bit who I am. But I think when the game has started I just want to be myself and that’s trying to help the team to do as well as possible and win the game. I think in the position I play I need to vocal, I need to try and organise, I need to demand things from each other and from myself, obviously, as well. I just do what I think it right for my position and that’s just me.
On how the club has impacted on him since he signed…
A lot, obviously. I think from day one, the lads and the manager and the staff and everyone around the club and the people who work at Liverpool have made me so welcome and that helps a lot with settling. Obviously the results help as well. But I think Liverpool is my team and Anfield is my home. I love playing for this club and we’re in the Champions League final and we want to do it. I think Liverpool as a club deserves to be in the Champions League year in, year out and hopefully that’s going to happen. But to be in the Champions League final now, hopefully we’re going to do it.
On how special it is to be playing in a Champions League final…
Obviously it’s very special for every one of us in the squad to be in the Champions League final. I think everyone is looking forward to it since it happened and I think we just need to enjoy it, but give everything that we have and then hopefully in the end we can even enjoy it a little bit more.