Liverpool fans spent their summer by moving on from the last season, saying farewell to their beloved manager Jurgen Klopp. The 2023-24 season had a lot of ups and downs until the very end, from entertaining exhilaration to sheer heartbreak.

The Reds arrived into the season after revamping their midfield completely, letting go of many aged players past their best. While pundits expected a hard transition, Liverpool had other ideas as they challenged for all the trophies they competed for.

Liverpool’s late dip in form cost them three big titles after the Carabao Cup triumph but they proved naysayers wrong. The Reds made many comebacks last season but one of the biggest comebacks came from their captain Virgil van Dijk.

Many questioned Klopp’s decision to give Van Dijk the armband last summer as the Dutchman struggled with his previous injury. However, Van Dijk proved that he is still one of the best defenders in the world, if not the best.

The 33-year-old showed the form that almost helped him achieve Ballon D’or if not for the best football player ever. Even though, Lionel Messi beat Van Dijk for the prestigious trophy, the Dutch captain etched his name among the greatest.

Van Dijk showed that he is as dominant as ever last season by delivering consistent performances in the struggling defence. According to Squawka, Van Dijk registered 91.47% passing accuracy, 81.4 aerial duel success rate and 63.95% ground duel success rate. Furthermore, he had 4.1 clearance, 1.2 interceptions, 4.9 ball recoveries and 1.2 tackles made stats throughout the last Premier League season.

Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) included Van Dijk in the PFA Premier League Team Of The Year for his dominant performances. The Liverpool captain has achieved this feat for the fourth time and every time as the Reds player.

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Van Dijk is playing in the last season of his current Liverpool contract and while his future is uncertain, the Dutchman has a crucial role to play this season under new head coach Arne Slot. Hopefully, Van Dijk can deliver his last season’s consistency once again and extend his stay at the club as he continues to write his Liverpool legacy.