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Virgil van Dijk hails 'proud' Liverpool moment 11 years in the making

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Virgil van Dijk has hailed his 50th appearance for Liverpool in Europe as a 'proud' achievement.

The Reds defender captained his side to victory at the San Siro on Tuesday and even grabbed himself a goal in the 3-1 win, playing an important role as Arne Slot's side got their Champions League campaign off to the perfect start.

However, it wasn't just the result and his performance that the Dutch skipper could be proud of, with the game against the Serie A giants also marking his 50th appearance in Europe for Liverpool since joining the club in January 2018.

During that time, Van Dijk has helped the Reds to three Champions League finals, winning one of them in 2019, as well as the UEFA Super Cup showpiece that same year. Last season, he made five appearances in the Europa League as Liverpool reached the quarter-finals.

Tuesday, however, not only represented his half century appearance in Europe for the Reds, but also the 50th time he had appeared in the Champions League throughout his career, having also featured for Celtic prior during his time in Scotland between 2013-2015.

And to mark the memorable occasion, the 33-year-old took to Instagram to post a picture of his first appearance in the competition with Celtic in 2013 and a snap from Liverpool's victory last night - both of which happened to be at the San Siro.

Virgil van Dijk hailed his landmark 50th appearance in the Champions League in Tuesday's victory over AC Milan -Credit:Instagram - Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk hailed his landmark 50th appearance in the Champions League in Tuesday's victory over AC Milan -Credit:Instagram - Virgil van Dijk

At the bottom of the image, he wrote: "Proud to have played 50 games in the Champions League. Same place, different times."

On that night in September 2013, Van Dijk's Celtic side fell to a 2-0 defeat to Milan at the San Siro in their opening group stage fixture of the campaign. Eleven years later, however, and he was on the winning side as Liverpool cruised to a 3-1 victory at the same stage of the competition.

In his 50 Champions League appearances for both Celtic and Liverpool, Van Dijk has registered three goals and three assists. He also competed in 13 Champions League qualifiers during his time in Scotland, scoring twice. In the Europa League, the Dutchman has two goals in 19 appearances (Transfermarkt).