Virgil van Dijk walked out for the Netherlands against Serbia and became only the 11th man to reach 100 caps for his country. The Van Dijk 100 caps milestone landed in a game Oranje had to win, and they did, beating Serbia 2-1 in the Nations League.
At 35, Van Dijk remains first choice at centre back for club and country, and he wore the captain’s armband again in Belgrade. Reaching a century of caps at this stage of his career says a great deal about his fitness and his standing among Dutch greats, and it matters to Liverpool fans who see that same leadership demonstrated every week at Anfield.
Years of consistency reward van Dijk
Teun Koopmeiners and Joshua Zirkzee scored for the Netherlands, with Mihajlo Cvetkovic replying for Serbia. Van Dijk’s 100th cap had been close to a decade in the making, since his senior debut, and it arrived without fuss in a fixture that demanded a result for Xavi’s Netherlands.
Centre backs rarely draw headlines for caps alone. Strikers and playmakers tend to collect the attention, while defenders accumulate appearances quietly, trusted to do the same job again and again. Van Dijk has missed long spells through injury, yet he has still climbed into rare company among Dutch internationals.
Becoming the 11th male player to reach 100 caps for the Netherlands places Van Dijk in a list that stretches back generations. It is a mark reserved for players trusted long enough, and that trust has followed him from Southampton to Liverpool and now into a tenth year of senior international football.
Xavi: ‘Virgil is an absolute leader’
Wesley Sneijder sits top of the Netherlands’ all-time appearance list with 134 caps, a tally built across a career that took in Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Galatasaray. Dirk Kuyt, a forward who gave Liverpool nine years of service, is eighth on that list with 104 caps. Van Dijk now sits inside that same bracket, a defender holding his own among some of the most decorated attackers Dutch football has produced.
Xavi’s reaction, carried by Voetbal International and relayed in the original report, captured the scale of the achievement.
“It is an emotional day for him too. I am so happy for him. Something like that is an incredible achievement. We will put him in the spotlight after the match. Then the congratulations will come. Virgil is an absolute leader. I appreciate him very much.”
What’s next for van Dijk?
A century of caps at 35 raises an obvious question for Liverpool supporters too. How many more years can a defender give at this level? Van Dijk captains both club and country, and the physical toll at this age adds up over a long season. Reaching this landmark without any sign of decline is a strong answer in itself.
While Van Dijk was away with the Netherlands, Liverpool’s own fixture list kept moving. Supporters catching up can revisit our Bournemouth win report and check the confirmed line-up from that afternoon, along with the latest team news ahead of the visit of Manchester City. Our latest praise piece on that Bournemouth win is further reading for anyone tracking the club’s form.
Durability like Van Dijk’s is rare for a centre back of his size and style. He has now outlasted several teammates he debuted alongside for the Netherlands, and he shows little sign of slowing down. For Liverpool, a defender still operating at this level, this deep into his career, remains one of the squad’s great advantages.
