Celtic have had a plethora of genuine world-class players grace the Parkhead turf over the decades.
Jimmy Johnstone, Billy McNeill, Paul McStay, Shunsuke Nakamura and Henrik Larsson are names that automatically come to mind and roll off the tongue whenever we speak of iconic Celtic figures.
I’m sure we could be here all day listing them. And Virgil van Dijk is certainly one of them.
The Dutchman joined Celtic in 2013 after the Parkhead club discovered him at Groningen as a relatively unknown player for £2.6m in the summer of 2013.
Neil Lennon took a chance on the player when his career was in its infancy stages back in his homeland. And whilst he had undoubted talent, Van Dijk has now shared the reason why three top clubs in the Netherlands didn’t ‘dare’ go where Celtic did and splash the cash to land his signature.
Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV ‘not convinced’ by Virgil van Dijk
It’s quite incredible to think that these three teams with the talent they produce let Van Dijk slip through their fingers for such a modest fee.
And what is more incredible is, at the time, the current Netherlands manager, Ronald Koeman, was in charge at Ajax.
And here, the £75m defender shares the real reason why Celtic won his signature back in 2013.
Van Dijk said [The Sun], “Koeman wanted to bring me from Groningen when I was at Feyenoord.
“But they thought I was too expensive at the time.
“When you play for Groningen as a young boy, a step to the top of the Dutch league is logical – it’s the traditional route.
“But the top three clubs, Feyenoord, Ajax and PSV, were not convinced of my qualities.
“So it was Celtic for me. That was the club that did dare to take me on.”
I personally don’t think van Dijk will be all that bothered now. After winning two league titles and a League Cup at Celtic, the Dutch defender landed his big move to the English Premiership to Southampton in 2015 for £13m. Ironically, under Koeman. [BBC]
Two seasons later, Liverpool then splashed out £75m for his services [BBC] and the medals just kept rolling in.
Winning the Champions League in 2019, van Dijk was also named Liverpool’s Player of the Year and UEFA’s Best Player 2019.
He has since gone on and picked up an EPL title, a UEFA Super Cup, FIFA World Club Cup, an English FA Cup, two League Cups and a Community Shield.
He is also competing in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League and is on course for another Premier League title.
Is van Dijk bothered by the Ajax snub of 2013? Absolutely not as he still talks up Celtic whenever he can.
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