Virgil van Dijk has reached a significant milestone in his international career, playing his 100th match for the Netherlands, and he’s not even thinking about hanging up his boots just yet. The 35-year-old Liverpool defender described the experience as a deeply emotional one.
Becoming the 11th player in Dutch history to hit the century mark, Van Dijk celebrated the landmark with a thrilling 2-1 triumph over Serbia.
Since making his debut in October 2015, he has gone on to captain the national side and, back in November 2025, he even set a record for the most matches as captain.
After the game against Serbia, Van Dijk shared his thoughts:
It was a very special evening, and I’m immensely proud of this achievement. I felt quite emotional in the dressing room just now.
I never dared to dream of something like this. When I was younger, it felt so distant that it was hardly worth considering. So now it all feels even more wonderful.
I’d like to thank the current coaching team and all the staff I’ve worked with previously. But above all, I’m grateful to my family, who were here today.
Van Dijk also reflected on the serious knee injury that set him back by approximately a year, which impacted his ability to close the gap on the all-time appearances record significantly sooner.
He added:
I believe I’ve managed to squeeze the most out of my time so far. Of course, I missed a year due to the ACL injury; otherwise, I might have been nearing Wesley Sneijder's record by now.
But I’m proud and happy. Let’s leave it at that.
As for international retirement, Van Dijk has no intention of slowing down just yet.
The captain stated:
This isn’t where it ends for me at 100 matches. I’m not one to look too far ahead.
I need to take very good care of myself and do everything possible to be ready each time. At the moment, I feel good, so I just have to keep going. Football is the best thing there is.
He also addressed discussions surrounding his age with a calm perspective:
I understand fully that age is always scrutinised in our sport. When things are going well, people say: ‘How good is he for his age?’ When it’s not, you’re already considered an old-timer.
I just need to focus on doing my job as well as I can for the team, both on and off the pitch.
On the club front, Van Dijk’s future remains clouded with transfer speculations. He’s been linked with moves to Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Juventus, but talks with Liverpool regarding a new contract have yet to commence.
