Virgil van Dijk has explained how he put the agony of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury behind him to enjoy ‘one of the best moments’ of his life.
The current Liverpool captain saw his 2020/21 season cut short in October of that campaign after being taken out by a reckless lunge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Reflecting on the first few weeks of his nine-month layoff, the 32-year-old recalled how a family holiday helped him to kickstart his long road to recovery.
Speaking to France Football, Van Dijk said: “The first two weeks were horrible. I could not do anything. You lied on your bed, losing your muscles and watching yourself get slimmer.
“The only way out was to get back up, so we took a family trip to Dubai. I have to admit it was one of the best moments of my life. Seeing my wife and kids every day gave me a huge boost. I had my routine and my physiotherapist lived with us. I could return as fast as possible, in the best shape possible.”
READ MORE: (Video) Cody Pennington’s breathtaking goal for Liverpool U18s oozed Cambiasso 2006 vibes
Liverpool fans will be glad to hear that Van Dijk didn’t spend too long feeling sorry for himself, which would’ve been easy to do after the ACL horror which was inflicted upon him by Pickford.
No footballer wants to be injured, although one by-product of a lengthy layoff is the allowance for more time with family, something that the Dutchman seems to have appreciated in the closing weeks of 2020.
After returning to the football pitch, he’s rediscovered the world-class levels which saw him come second in the 2019 Ballon D’Or rankings and mark him out as one of the greatest defenders the Premier League has ever seen.
Everyone associated with Liverpool must be delighted with how emphatically Van Dijk put his ACL misery aside, as such a serious injury can signal the beginning of the end for other footballers, particularly if they’d already suffered a long-term layoff previously in their career.