Liverpool FC Virgil van Dijk's brush with death after 'stomach pains' in training

Virgil van Dijk has transformed Liverpool FC since he signed for the reds in January 2017. Since the defender was signed by then manager Jurgen Klopp, he has gone on to win every single trophy possible for the club.

The Dutchman has continued his superb form under new manager Arne Slot this season. He is very likely to start again in Liverpool’s match away against Southampton this afternoon.

Although he is now considered one of the best centre-backs in the world, his career hasn’t always been straightforward. He joined Dutch side Groningen in 2010 and began playing for the senior team a year later but he wasn’t able to focus on his football first.

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In an interview with BBC Sport in February 2019, Virgil said: “When I went to FC Groningen, I had to take my bike to training - my first wage went on driving lessons. Before I signed my contract, I was 15 or 16 and working as a dishwasher in a Breda restaurant.

“I trained Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and played Saturday and worked on a Wednesday and Sunday evening from six to midnight. I worked because I wanted to go to town on a Saturday night. I got maybe 350 euros every month and I was so happy with that, I could go to McDonald's and treat my friends. Then I started to realise how important money can be, but it's not the most important thing.”

Virgil was 17 near the end of his first season with Groningen in 2012 when he started complaining of stomach pains during a training session. He refused to cut the session short after being examined by medical staff.

Even though his condition began to deteriorate over the next 48 hours, the centre-back still refused to see a doctor. Even when he accepted team-mate Tim Keurntjes’ offer to drive him to hospital in the early hours of the morning, medics assured him that he was in good health and sent him home with a prescription for pain killers.

That prompted his mum to make a three-hour drive to see her son. She immediately called for an ambulance when she discovered him curled up in agony at his apartment.

On April 1 2012, van Dijk was admitted to hospital with advanced appendicitis, peritonitis and kidney poisoning. It’s an experience that has stuck with him for a long time.

In an interview with The Mirror in March 2019, the Liverpool defender said: “I looked death in the eye - and it was a terrible experience. For the first time in my life, football meant nothing to me.

“It was not important at all. This was all about trying to stay alive. My mother and I were both praying to God and, to be honest, we were discussing various scenarios. At one point, I had to sign these documents. It was a will. If I would die in hospital, part of my money would go to my mum.

"Nobody wanted to raise this issue, but it needed to be dealt with because there was a chance that I would die there and then. I remember lying in bed. All I could see were tubes and wires on my body. My body was broken. I was not capable of anything. The worst things went through my mind.”

The Liverpool captain underwent an emergency operation before spending the next few days in intensive care. He lost more than a stone in weight when he returned to training in the pre-season of 2012.

It was while at Groningen that he met Rika Nooitgedagt. They welcomed their first child to the world in 2014, when daughter Nila was born. Two years later, they welcomed their second daughter, Jadi.

They are currently raising the youngsters in Liverpool, with Virgil previously gushing over the area. Earlier this year he revealed to the Mirror: "It is the longest I’ve been at a football club in my career [at Liverpool]. My kids are growing up here and go to school here. The people are incredible."

Speaking about being a dad in a 2019 interview, Virgil added: “The growth (me and Rika) have been through since (meeting) is great and we now have two little girls. You can’t deny that fatherhood changes you. There are always tough moments but when you go home to your wife and kids it’s all gone. For example when we lost to Barcelona you feel bad – but you go home and you think how far I’ve got. I deal with those aspects very well.”