Virgil van Dijk gives his backing to ‘very important’ teammate to succeed him as Liverpool captain | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk has endorsed one ‘very important’ teammate to succeed him as the next permanent captain of Liverpool.

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The 34-year-old assumed the responsibility from Jordan Henderson three years ago, but the leadership role could be up for grabs in the foreseeable future if the Dutch defender leaves at the end of his current contract in June 2027, just before he turns 36.

It’s also possible that vice-captain Andy Robertson could have departed Anfield by then, with his deal set to expire this summer as things stand, so there may well be an opportunity for a current teammate to take the armband further down the line.

Van Dijk endorses Szoboszlai for Liverpool captaincy

When Van Dijk was asked whether Dominik Szoboszlai could be the player to take over the captaincy from him, the current skipper gave his backing to the Hungarian midfielder.

Liverpool’s number 4 replied (via RTE): “That’s all on the manager I think. I don’t know. Obviously he has been very good, and also a player who I think can still make the next step in terms of being a leader for this team.

“It starts by leading by example, and that’s something he has done so far this season, but also everything around it. There is still progress to be made, and that’s a good thing in my opinion, so hopefully he will be very important for the years to come at Liverpool.”

(Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images)

Szoboszlai would seem to be an ideal fit for Liverpool captaincy

Given that Szoboszlai is already the captain of his national team (and has been since November 2022), and that he has indeed led by example for Liverpool with his performances this season, he immediately springs to mind as a strong candidate for the Anfield armband after Van Dijk.

Seeing an all-action midfielder in the number 8 shirt captaining the Reds would inevitably fuel the Steven Gerrard comparisons that Gary Lineker is keen to extinguish, but the Hungarian could viably be among the frontrunners for the captaincy in the foreseeable future.

He’s at an age where he already boasts plenty of high-level experience (more than 400 senior games at club and international level) and is coming into what should be his peak footballing years; and if he were to sign a new long-term contract in the next few months, he’d remain in L4 throughout the prime of his career.

Albeit prompted by a direct question put to him, Van Dijk’s endoresement of Szoboszlai as his successor as captain would also carry weight, given how excellently the Dutchman has performed in the role since 2023.

We’ve been blessed to have genuinely great leaders holding the captaincy at Liverpool in the modern era (Gerrard, Henderson, Van Dijk), and if our current number 8 is next in line, we’d have every confidence in him being a perfect fi for that responsibility.