In a book regarding the world’s best defenders, Virgil van Dijk spoke about his source of inspiration to become an elite.
Virgil van Dijk is considered one of the top footballers in the entire footballing universe, yet he desires to improve more. Every player looks up to a certain deity for motivation, and the Liverpool defender certainly has the greatest one of them all.
As you may know, the Dutchman has attracted football fans and clubs alike with his commanding nature on the field. Without a doubt, the 29-year-old has proved on numerous occasions that defending for him is an easy piece of art.
Van Dijk has been following the tennis icon Roger Federer and believes that both of them share the same mentality on the field. In a new book ‘Thou Shall Not Pass: The Anatomy of Football’s Centre-Half’ written by Leo Moynihan, the Reds centre-back talked about his inspiration.
“Some people suggest I make the game look easy, but trust me, every game is very tough. We play against world-class strikers, very physical strikers. And never am I thinking, ‘This is easy.’ Maybe though, I want my opponent to think I am.”
“Look at Roger Federer. If you see him play tennis, you think he doesn’t sweat. Mentally, that must be so tough for his opponent, who will think he’s not trying. Sometimes I think like that. Try to get into the head of the opponent, not by talking to him, not by kicking him. But trying to make him think that if he is going to play well or score today, he’s going to have to step up.”
“Yes, you have to be confident in your own ability, otherwise people will walk all over you. There are other ways to win games; you don’t have to kick or curse people out.”
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