Van Dijk, the dishwasher who defeated death and reached the top

CHILDREN Van Dyk, England's champion of the year, is the most expensive defender of history. In fact, Liverpool has had to pay 85m euros to overcome competition, enrich Southampton's ark and player's pockets, which pay 10.7m euros in the season. Not bad for a guy who earned 3 pounds an hour as dishwasher at a restaurant called “Oncle Jean” in Breda, where he was born.

It has been discovered by the Sun”, which has written about the Dutch's complicated childhood not only because of economic difficulties but also because of a no easy family situation: a father never present (because of no good relations with him), he has decided to carry the name of baptism on the fanfare), a mother, and two small brothers to care for. Always without giving up the dream.

W I LLEM II He was still underage when Virgil was separated between work and football, after his training with Willem II he took his bicycle and went to the restaurant. Jacques Lips, owner of “Oncle Jean”, said of the “The Sun”: “was a good employee and trained hard to become a professional. I always told him to give up soccer and keep working at the restaurant to make some money...”.

Virgil had other plans, and he never intended to give up. After Willem II came Groningen, the club that helped him get his license and say goodbye to the bicycle. From then on, the climb of the world's most expensive defender has begun.

THE THREEAT There's been nothing missing in Van Dyke's life, which has had a critical moment that could have cost more than his football career. While in Groning, the Dutch had a problem with the appendix, which then touched the kidneys: <x0... My mother and I always prayed”, said Van Dijk.

Such a critical situation has moved the Dutch to think the worst and to write a will in which he left everything to his mother. Next danger, passed through his extraordinary physical form. “Oncle Jean” was yesterday, Liverpool is present, while the future remains to be written.