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Virgil van Dijk has played every minute of Liverpool’s 10 Premier League games this season, and he has now explained how he stays so fit at 33 years old.
Aged 33, some players might be thinking of packing their bags and securing a big-money move to the MLS or Saudi Pro League.
Van Dijk, though, is still at the top of his game and eyeing more silverware this year as Liverpool captain.
The Dutchman has been key to maintaining consistency of culture between the Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot eras, while also continuing to be pivotal on the pitch.
Having played every minute of Liverpool’s 13 Premier League and Champions League matches so far this season, Van Dijk explained on Rio Ferdinand Presents how he stays so fit.
The Liverpool skipper declared: “I feel fit. I am fit. I do a lot of things in order to be fit and stay fit.
“I think you can see obviously apart from the year I got my injury, I think I played the most games of the team.”
Van Dijk hasn’t actually played the most games since arriving at the club – that title belongs to Mo Salah, another player who seems to defy logic.
The year Liverpool’s centre-back refers to here is the 2020/21 behind-closed-doors campaign, when Jordan Pickford’s dangerous challenge kept the No. 4 out from October until the end of the season.
That spell aside, the longest run of games Van Dijk has ever missed for the Reds came in early 2023, when he was out for seven matches with a hamstring injury.
Van Dijk continued: “So obviously staying fit is a big thing in my way of life and in order to do that, you obviously need to make sure you eat well, rest well, you know. And I’ve got a little team around me that makes sure that that’s the case.
“And I think that if you want to stay at the top, that’s definitely a major thing.”
Ferdinand then asked: “You’ve got a team?”
Van Dijk responded: “A little team around me, yeah.
“Chef, fitness coach obviously, massage, treatment, those are the main things basically. Obviously it’s very important and I think it really benefits me, and it’s for me very normal but obviously costs a lot of work.”
Whatever works, Virgil, keep on doing it!
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