Virgil van Dijk makes history as Liverpool teammate gets called 'best player'

Virgil van Dijk made history as the Netherlands captain on Monday, but it's his Liverpool colleague Cody Gakpo who has been singled out as the national team's standout performer.

Gakpo converted from the spot and created another goal as the Netherlands beat Lithuania 4-0 to book the country's place at next summer's World Cup. The tournament, which England has also qualified for, will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Liverpool skipper Van Dijk, meanwhile, became the Dutch record holder for captaining his nation on 72 occasions - an extraordinary achievement considering he has earned just 88 caps in total.

Former Dutch international Frank de Boer, who previously held the record, paid tribute to Van Dijk, stating: "Virgil, congratulations on breaking my record as the player with the most caps as captain of Oranje.

"You've worn the armband 72 times – a great achievement of which you should be really proud.

"You're a true leader and hopefully many more great moments will follow with you as captain."

Gakpo's penalty against Lithuania extended his international tally to an impressive 19 goals in 46 matches, netting the second of four Dutch strikes on a day when Manchester City's Tijjani Reijnders, Tottenham summer acquisition Xavi Simons, and Aston Villa's Donyell Malen all got on the scoresheet.

Despite the presence of numerous Premier League stars, former Netherlands, Nottingham Forest, and Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk praised Gakpo as his country's finest player.

"I actually think Gakpo is the best player in this qualifying campaign, Van Hooijdonk told Voetbal Zone.

"And even before that, actually. He’s just so strong, his physique is top-notch. And he also has his own individual moves."

Ryan Gravenberch, the third Liverpool player in the Dutch squad, remained on the bench throughout the match as an unused substitute.

Van Dijk made his senior debut for the Netherlands in 2015 but missed out on playing at the 2018 World Cup after his country failed to qualify.

The Liverpool star also missed out on Euro 2020, held in 2021, due to a serious knee injury.

But he made up for lost time at the last two major tournaments, captaining his country to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup and the semifinals of Euro 2024, losing to Argentina and England, respectively.

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