17:01 – Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk are still in close contact, despite the midfielder’s decision to leave Liverpool on a free transfer last summer and embark on the adventure at Paris Saint-Germain. For years they played together at the English top club, where they became national champions and won the Champions League. It resulted in a special bond between the compatriots.
“Of course I miss Gini. We have such a close relationship. But I’m always in touch with him. That was also the case during the European Championship last summer. I couldn’t be there, but thanks to Gini I knew what was going on and how the group felt. That was important to know, because that way I could see if there were things I could contribute to,” says the defender in conversation with The Telegraph. He was forced to miss the tournament due to a serious knee injury.
Also read: Van Dijk about missing European Championships: “The outside world puts you under pressure”
Because of that injury, he missed not only the European Championship, but also part of the qualification for the World Championship. “Then you look forward to that first qualifier against Turkey at home and it was quite chaotic,” he refers to the 4-2 defeat under Frank de Boer. “You have no doubts about making it to the World Cup, but I immediately thought: we are going to make it exciting again. And if you are not there, you and your family really look like a fan. Just like during the European Championship, when I saw the elimination by the Czech Republic.”
After that tournament, Louis van Gaal came in front of the group. Under his leadership, the global final tournament was reached. Van Dijk is looking forward to the tournament. “We will soon be playing some practice matches, where the coach will want to try out his new tactics or other things. And in June we will have four matches in the Nations League. Of course I want to be fit for my first World Cup and I am really looking forward to that. ”
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