Liverpool Star Virgil van Dijk Discusses Prospect of Retirement Amid Coronavirus Crisis
By Max Cooper
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has opened up on his thought and emotions during lockdown, and the Dutchman has confessed that the pause in the fixture list has forced him to contemplate the realities that footballers face when they retire.
The 28-year-old is currently at the peak of his powers, and his commanding performances have guided Liverpool to the cusp of Premier League title glory. But the coronavirus outbreak meant that the campaign was suspended in April, forcing players all over Europe to stay indoors and obey lockdown protocol.
And when asked by BT Sport whether the pause in the sporting calendar has made him appreciate his livelihood as a professional footballer, Van Dijk wholeheartedly agreed, admitting that he missed spending 'so much time together' with his Liverpool teammates.
"It's difficult to not be out there, to show our talents, to work hard, just the small things in the game. Also playing for so many fans, winning, the whole build-up to games, training sessions, just seeing the boys.
"We spend so much time together and all of a sudden now you're not together for like two months, almost.
"It's different, it's crazy, and it's something that you really haven't felt before, and it makes you appreciate things a little bit more."
Van Dijk also claimed that the lockdown period has made him ponder what retirement will be like, having experienced this period of life without football, and he stated that 'there's going to a period of uncertainty where you have no idea what to do.'
"It's going to be strange, and obviously I don't want to think about retirement or anything like that, but it's going to be strange.
"It makes you think how difficult it's going to be for players to make the decision to retire, because what are you going to do after?
"There's going to be a period of uncertainty where you have no idea what to do, and that feeling is what we have sometimes at the moment as well, because we have no idea what might happen."
The Premier League is planning to restart the 2019/20 season, but there are fears that they will be left with no other option than to cancel the campaign.