Virgil van Dijk has never been one to take prisoners, whether he's on the pitch or off it.
The Liverpool defender has earned widespread adulation and respect for his uncompromising approach to every aspect of the game. The 33-year-old is not only one of the most talented centre backs of his generation, but also has an exemplary attitude to boot.
He demonstrated this after the Netherland's 2-2 draw with Germany on Tuesday. Van Dijk's centre back partner, Manchester United summer signing Matthijs de Ligt, was blamed for both of Germany's goals, and the former Southampton star offered a frank assessment of his team-mate's performance at full-time.
"This is football. You have to learn from this," Van Dijk said. "It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it." It was a ruthlessly honest reaction, though that's always been Van Djik's modus operandi.
Following Liverpool's 4-3 win over Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, he walked out of a post-match interview with Jan Age Fjortoft after the former Norway international tried to swing the focus of the chat to a young Erling Haaland, who came off the bench to score Salzburg's third of the evening.
Explaining what happened on the Blood Red podcast, Fjortoft said: "After the game, I interviewed Van Dijk... and I said 'I have to ask you about the Norwegian, Erling Haland' and he just said: 'Well, we won the game'. So I said 'Yes, but what do you think about him?
"Van Dijk said: 'I didn't see a lot of him' and he was a bit angry because there was some mistakes done and I said 'It's a good sign for a striker when a defender says he didn't see him!' - and then he just went away."
Such resolute single-mindedness exemplifies the determined, winning ethos that has defined Van Dijk's career. He has never been one to tolerate baseless rhetoric, or excuse the shortcomings of his team or team-mates, as evidenced by his reaction to the Netherlands' defeat by Austria at Euro 2024.
Refusing to sugar-coat the situation, he said: "It was just a bad evening. We are all responsible, it shouldn’t happen, but it did and that’s bad."
Van Dijk is clearly someone who sets very high standards for himself and those around him. Speaking to Liverpool's official website after being appointed club captain last summer, he stressed the importance of maintaining standards and made it clear that the team's success was due to their collective work ethic and discipline.
These high standards were evident when the Reds won the Premier League for the first time in 2020. Their coronation was nearly scuppered due to the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, which briefly halted Premier League football, leading some to call for the campaign to be restarted.
After getting his hands on the trophy shortly after football resumed, a resolute Van Dijk couldn't hide how satisfied he was to silence Liverpool's critics. "No one can say anything now," he told Sky Sports defiantly.
"We had a few games where we should have done better, but we shouldn't focus on that. We've had a fantastic season. We only lost twice, so like I said, no one can say anything about us. We are well-deserving champions. We won by a mile."
Standing up for one's team-mates is one thing, but it takes exceptional confidence to do the same for oneself, particularly when confronted by bona fide national legends. Yet that's precisely what Van Dijk did in response to criticism from Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit last year.
After a couple of disappointment performances for the Netherlands, Van Basten accused Van Dijk of lacking leadership, claiming that he "makes noise but doesn't say anything" and "creates chaos that leads to misunderstandings". In response, Van Dijk came out swinging.
"This [Van Basten's comment] is of no use to me," he told Ziggo Sport. "Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion these days, that's the case. [But] did I set the bar unrealistically high?
"Football players know that better than anyone, have high peaks and deep valleys. It's quite normal that you can't always play consistently. That you have a phase as a club or player where you are looking for your level. People should not forget that. It is normal that people make mistakes, that it is part of football and that it is very human."
Around the same time, Gullit criticised Van Dijk's attitude, accusing the defender of thinking he was better than his international colleagues, prompting a similarly steadfast response. "I have nothing to say on that," Van Dijk told reporters. I set high standards. People try to hold me to that so that's what I try to do.
"Coming back from the big injury and then being out for six weeks is tough so playing three games for 90 minutes is something I'm very proud of and have worked hard for."
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