The Dutch midfielder has put in a lot of work to achieve his present amazing “transformation.”

Liverpool midfielder Virgil van Dijk used to get paid four euros an hour to wash pots at the Oncle Jean restaurant in Breda. 

The former player for Southampton was born in Suriname; his mother is Dutch. Jacques Lips, the proprietor of the restaurant, had earlier told Van Dijk to give up on his dream of working in shorts and focus on dishwashing.

.Oncle Jean restaurant, where Van Dijk used to make a living. Van Dijk frequently played right back when he was a member of the Willem II team. But as time went on, the Dutch sensation emerged as the team’s best player and shown unique abilities when he was asked to play in the middle of defense.Scene of Oncle Jean restaurant.At sixteen, Van Djik had undergone a tremendous physical development. “My initial impression of Van Dijk? That young player has a lot of flaws. His ailment kept him out of the gym for a while. As a result, the coaching staff spent the first six months assisting him in returning to peak form, according to Groningen reserve team coach Dick Lukkien.Van Dijk joined FC Groningen before making a real move with Celtic.In the summer of 2013, Van Dijk moved to Scottish football giant Celtic.With his stable form and convincing performance, the Dutch star was voted the best player in the Premier League 2018/2019 according to the British Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).

The Premier League was greeted with a gifted midfield player in the summer of 2015 when Van Dijk joined Southampton for a reported 13 million pounds.

In January 2018, he signed a record-breaking contract for Liverpool as a defender[9]. He guided the group to the UEFA Champions League final that season, but they were defeated by Real Madrid. For the 2018–19 season, Van Dijk was also voted for PFA Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Year. Van Dijk made his comeback to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League season 2018–19 final, which he won; Liverpool, meanwhile, finished second in the Premier League with the highest score in the competition’s history.

.Van Dijk joined the Dutch squad in 2015 and took on the role of captain in 2018. Three months later, he and his squad advanced to the 2019 UEFA Nations League final but were defeated by Portugal. In 2019, he scored his first goal for the Netherlands in a 3-0 victory over European champions Portugal. He lost to Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Ball on December 2, 2019, by a little margin of votes.