It’s been revealed that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk issued one special request to the club after clinching the Premier League title last season.
Since his arrival at Anfield in January 2018 from Southampton, van Dijk has been much more than just a centre-back for Liverpool. His impact resonates far beyond defensive solidity — he has become a symbol of leadership, resilience and unyielding ambition.
Season after season, van Dijk’s consistency has been remarkable. Throughout the 2024–25 season he was the defensive cornerstone, missing just one league match and playing a staggering 3,330 minutes. More than a mere defensive rock, his leadership propelled the team’s spirit and standards, influencing younger players and guiding the team through intense challenges.
When Liverpool confirmed their 20th league title with a resounding 5-1 win over Tottenham, the victory triggered an outpouring of joy in the stands and on the pitch. But amid the chaos of celebration, there was order. Even the music — part modern, part nostalgic — felt intentional.
Speaking in an interview with This is Anfield following his recent retirement after 54 years with the club, stadium announcer George Sephton revealed his final act was playing a playlist curated by the van Dijk.
“That [the Dua Lipa song] was a one-off because Virgil van Dijk sent me a list of ten tunes he wanted playing after the game, if we won the league.”
If ever there was an example of influence of the van Dijk has at Liverpool, this was it. Even the stadium DJ takes instruction from the captain.
The selections ranged from modern dance tracks like Dua Lipa’s ‘One Kiss’ to 90’s classics such as Robin S’s ‘Show Me Love’, and even a few tunes Sephton hadn’t heard before. But as ‘the voice of Anfield’ himself put it:
“If the club captain says play this, you play it.”
It was a small gesture, but a telling one. Van Dijk, meticulous and detail-oriented, had already envisioned the soundtrack to Liverpool’s crowning day. This wasn’t just about lifting a trophy, it was about curating a moment that the fans, the players, and the city would never forget.
If the playlist was the epilogue, the campaign was pure narrative brilliance. Liverpool finished the season as champions and the Dutchman’s fingerprints were all over it. The centre-back didn’t miss a single minute of Premier League action until the penultimate game of the season, by which point the title had long been secured.
With this title, van Dijk etched his name into Premier League history as the first Dutchman to captain a title-winning team. For a nation that has given the league names like Bergkamp, van Nistelrooy and Robben, it’s a remarkable first.
It was also the 34-year-old’s first league title as captain and the first since Alan Hansen in 1990 to lift the league trophy at Anfield with fans present — fittingly with Hansen handing him the trophy that Sunday afternoon.
This anecdote not only illustrates Van Dijk’s attention to detail but also how deeply embedded he is in Liverpool’s culture — from organising defensive lines to curating the soundtrack of their historic celebrations.
