Question 1

True or false: Van Dijk won the Ballon d'Or in 2019, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi.

Accepted Answer

False. He finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 2019, losing to Lionel Messi by a narrow margin.

Question 2

True or false: Virgil van Dijk is the only defender to win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award.

Accepted Answer

True. He won it in 2019, making him the first and only defender to claim the prize since its inception in 2011.

Question 3

True or false: Van Dijk has never been dribbled past in a Premier League match at Anfield.

Accepted Answer

True. In the 2018-19 season, he completed 50 games at Anfield without being dribbled past once.

Question 4

True or false: Van Dijk began his professional career as a striker before switching to defense.

Accepted Answer

False. He started as a defender and never played as a striker professionally; this is a common myth.

Question 5

True or false: Van Dijk has scored more than 50 goals in his professional club career.

Accepted Answer

False. He has scored around 40 goals in his career, mostly from set pieces, not reaching 50.

Question 6

True or false: Van Dijk has a black belt in Taekwondo, which he earned as a teenager.

Accepted Answer

True. He trained in Taekwondo for years, earning his black belt before focusing on football.

Question 7

True or false: Van Dijk was born in the Netherlands but holds a Surinamese passport.

Accepted Answer

False. He was born in Breda, Netherlands, to a Dutch mother and Surinamese father, but only holds a Dutch passport.

Question 8

True or false: Van Dijk never played professional football until he was 21 years old.

Accepted Answer

True. He started his senior career at Groningen at age 21, after being a dishwasher and working odd jobs.

Virgil van Dijk Trivia Questions