Virgil van Dijk’s unexpected full-time decision after Liverpool’s win over Real Madrid spoke volumes about his leadership as he confronted recent criticism.
There are moments in a season that reveal far more than a scoreline, and Liverpool’s 1–0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield felt like one of them.
Not simply because Arne Slot’s side stitched together back-to-back victories for the first time since September, nor because they delivered the type of control and resilience long missing from their autumn slump. It was also the night Liverpool’s captain decided to confront the noise head-on.
Virgil van Dijk had already played his part where it matters most. A clean sheet against Aston Villa, followed by another against Madrid, framed a performance that was authoritative in all the ways his critics had claimed had deserted him. But his most telling contribution arrived after the final whistle.
What happened next was unexpected even to the broadcasters.
“We were actually expecting Conor Bradley to come to the desk at the end, but apparently Virgil said ‘no, I’m doing that,’” Gabby Logan revealed on BBC Sport.
“I think he wanted to have a word with Wayne, who had some things to say on his podcast, but there was a presence about him and a belief about him that personified the whole team.”
For weeks, the back-and-forth had simmered. Wayne Rooney, speaking on his podcast, had questioned Van Dijk’s body language, suggested his performances had dipped after signing a new deal, and wondered aloud about his leadership. It was a line the Liverpool captain felt crossed into something more than critique.
He had already labelled the analysis “lazy” after the win at Villa Park. This was his chance to address it face-to-face.
Standing directly alongside Rooney in Liverpool’s post-match Prime Video interview, Van Dijk refrained from naming him but steered unmistakably towards the criticism that had been volleyed his way.
“Sometimes the outside noise was over the top,” he said.
“It would be good if ex-players that played at the highest level, that dealt with difficult moments as well, would put things in perspective.”
Rooney, visibly taken aback, attempted to defend his stance.
“I think what I’ve said is fair,” he replied. “The response [to their struggles] has been great from Virgil and the team.”
Van Dijk disagreed, and did so pointedly.
“I think if you would watch games, then I would definitely take the responsibility.
I think the comment that I signed my new deal, and then it’s like, that’s it and I let [things] slide, I think that was a bit…but that’s my personal opinion.”
It was direct without being inflammatory a public rebuttal delivered with the measured clarity Liverpool’s dressing room have long cited as central to Van Dijk’s leadership.
There were wider themes to Van Dijk’s reflections. Liverpool’s slump, six defeats in seven before facing Aston Villa, had led to an internal players-only meeting. Whether it helped, he said, depends on where you choose to look.
“It’s easy to say now because we won twice that [the meeting] helped.
In a world of chaos, you have to try and stay calm.
At the time of that meeting we were in October, so much football still to be played, so many twists and turns that can happen. At times the noise was a lot.”
Asked whether his comments were about anyone on the panel, he batted it away.
“No. It’s very important to put things into perspective, get your head down and work.”
And on whether the outside noise impacts him:
“For me personally it doesn’t affect me but as a captain I am dealing with players that might be affected by it.”
“Of course [some of the criticism has been fair], if you lose four or five games in a row as a Liverpool player, that is fair. It is normal in that sense.”
“It’s over the top at times as well, but that is because we live in a world where there are so many platforms, so many people can say stuff and will be picked up and made bigger than what it is.“
Rooney, now sitting slightly more carefully in his chair, countered again:
“When you win the Premier League and then you go on a run where you lose three, four games in a row, which you don’t expect from Liverpool over the last few years.
And then Virgil, you as the captain, that’s your opportunity to go and lead the players in. That happens in football and I think the response has been great from Virgil, from the team.”
Van Dijk stood firm.
“I think if you would watch games, then I would definitely take the responsibility.
I think the comment that I signed my new deal, and then it’s like that’s it, and I let it slide. I think that was a bit…but that’s my personal opinion.”
And on whether the criticism fuels him:
“No. I want to perform for the team, for the club, for each and every one that will support us through thick and thin.
When we go through a tough time as a team, when we’re losing games obviously I’m fortunate that didn’t happen too many times it hurts me so much.
And I want to turn this around because I also see the hard work we put in each and every day. I see the quality that we have.”
Arne Slot’s side have endured a month of turbulence. But at Anfield, under the lights, Liverpool’s captain provided the type of clarity that suggests the turbulence may be starting to settle.
