Xavi ‘to keep’ Virgil van Dijk as Netherlands captain, names Dumfries, Aké and Gakpo deputies | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk will remain Netherlands captain under Spanish coach Xavi Hernandez, with Denzel Dumfries, Nathan Aké and Cody Gakpo named as deputies, VoetbalPrimeur reports.

Xavi has settled the armband hierarchy for now, with the trio to fill in whenever Van Dijk is absent.

He said leadership must extend beyond Van Dijk, adding that experienced figures such as Denzel of Real Madrid, Cody of Liverpool and Nathan of Fenerbahçe should guide the younger players. With Frenkie de Jong unavailable, those three are the reserve captains.

The staff will review the leadership group during the November international break, with nothing set in stone before then.

Van Dijk has been the main captain throughout the 2026 World Cup and has worn the armband since 2018, first doing so in a friendly against England.

The Netherlands host Germany tomorrow, Thursday, at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam in the first round of Group Two in League A of the UEFA Nations League.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”