Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has admitted that the lack of football right now will cause players to think about what life will be like when they’re retired, according to the Mirror.
Van Dijk is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in world football at the moment and the 2019 Ballon d’Or runner up has voiced his perspective on two months without football due to the coronavirus.
The Dutch defender has been instrumental in Liverpool’s march to the top of the Premier League this season and last played for the Reds against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico before all football across Europe was suspended due to the coronavirus and Van Dijk has been speaking about his time away from the game.
Speaking to BT Sport about his time away from the game during coronavirus lockdown, Van Dijk said:
“It’s difficult to not be out there, to show our talents, to work hard, just the small things in the game. Also playing for so many fans, winning, the whole build-up to games, training sessions, just seeing the boys.
“We spend so much time together and all of a sudden now you’re not together for like two months, almost.
“It’s different, it’s crazy, and it’s something that you really haven’t felt before, and it makes you appreciate things a little bit more.”
When asked about life after football, Van Dijk said:
“It’s going to be strange, and obviously I don’t want to think about retirement or anything like that, but it’s going to be strange.”
“It makes you think how difficult it’s going to be for players to make the decision to retire, because what are you going to do after?”
“There’s going to be a period of uncertainty where you have no idea what to do, and that feeling is what we have sometimes at the moment as well because we have no idea what might happen.”
Van Dijk’s comments provide a glance into what the lockdown is like for footballers across Europe and it’s certain that the players themselves are missing playing competitive football.