Van Dijk sat in the dressing room at Wembley Stadium with a championship medal around his neck and a smile on his face, playing Dua Lipa's "One Kiss" on the stereo.
The Liverpool captain smirked and said: "They thought I was finished. He's responding to criticism last season, when Liverpool suffered the biggest crisis of the Klopp era, and no one has contributed more than Virgil van Dijk to get back on track this season.
After Jordan Henderson's departure last summer, Virgil van Dijk took over the captain's armband. Since then, he has taken on the responsibility of leading the team and has gradually returned to his peak form.
In Klopp's passionate farewell journey, the duo worked together to help Liverpool complete the first title of the quadruple crown.
It was a very difficult game and Liverpool did not have the advantage in terms of strength. Midway through the first half, Bravenberg was trampled on by Caicedo and taken off the pitch on a stretcher. In the second half, Bradley was exhausted and out of breath before being substituted.
With 90 minutes to go, the players on the pitch were exhausted and out of ammunition, and Klopp set his sights on the youngsters on the bench. Bobby Clarke, James McConnell and Jaden Dances have only made 15 first-team appearances in total before.
The 21-year-old "veteran" Cuanza also came off the bench in extra time. On the stage of the League Cup final, Liverpool sent a total of five young youth players against Chelsea's 100 million squad. According to common sense, Liverpool will definitely lose.
However, Liverpool did not languish and became more and more courageous. They played bravely, calmly and resiliently. Klopp's trust was rewarded.
'Everything was ready for us to lose, but we just didn't admit defeat and that's really cool. Klopp commented after the game, "I like the bravery of the lads. It's a wonderful story. “
Virgil van Dijk is the perfect leader and role model for the team, dealing with all kinds of dangers and encouraging his team-mates. Van Dijk is in front of the unwitting Endo Hang, and behind him is the brave Kellech.
In the final moments of extra time, Van Dijk received a corner kick from Tsimikas and headed it into the net to seal the win. After the goal, he fell to his knees at the feet of the Greek left-back, and his teammates gathered around him to celebrate.
It's my first trophy as Liverpool captain and I'm proud of this team," Klopp said after the game, 'it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life. ”
When the whole Liverpool team walked on the podium at Wembley, Van Dijk insisted that Jurgen Klopp lift the trophy with him, much to the manager's usefulness. 'I would have preferred him to lift the trophy by himself, but he really wanted me to put my hand on the trophy and I'm happy. "It's a special moment for Virgil. I know how much he loves the club and who he is. ”
With the rousing "You Are Far Alone", the players and coaching staff held hands and stood in front of the cheering Liverpool fans, with big smiles on the faces of the young players. It was only when they walked into the court passage and reunited with their families in the lounge that they slowly realized what they had achieved.
The 18-year-old Liverpool native Danse came off the bench against Luton Town a few days ago and came off the bench at Wembley to play as a centre-forward.
The son of former Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers midfielder Neil Dance, he has scored 21 goals so far this season and is the top scorer in the ranks. He was spotted playing a five-a-side game at the age of eight and was recruited into the Liverpool Academy. Dann started out at just 157 centimeters, but later grew very tall, and was out of action for nearly a year due to knee pain caused by Osgood-Schratt's disease. He's improved so fast this season and he's getting stronger.
McConnell, now 19, came to Liverpool from Sunderland at the age of 15, initially as an attacking midfielder. After Fabinho and Henderson were in Saudi Arabia, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lineders taught him to play in central midfield.
McConnell was a quick learner, and coach Barry Lutas recognized his leadership qualities by making him captain of the U-21 echelon.
Clarke was signed from Newcastle in 2021 and a number of EFL clubs offered him on loan in January, but all of them were rejected, with Liverpool deeming it necessary to keep him as a substitute. Considering the injuries that followed, it was a wise move for all parties.
The son of former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark, he has made nine appearances for Liverpool since the start of the year, seven of them at the senior level, and has excelled on and off the pitch on each occasion.
I have to say that Bobby Clark has really improved too much. "James McConnell has improved so fast, Jaden Dances has only recently trained with our first team and I liked him from the first second. ”
"Can you create a football story that everyone will remember? Can you find the same story about bringing Academy players on the pitch to play in the Premier League and still win? I've never heard of it anyway. ”
Cuanza and Bradley have made more appearances in the first team than the other three, but it's worth remembering that they have also made huge strides in a short period of time. A year ago, they were also loaned to Bristol Rangers and Bolton Wanderers in League One respectively.
This season, injuries to Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold have opened the door for the duo to the first team, and they have taken their chances safely. Kuanza has been practising at Liverpool since the age of five, with Bradley joining Liverpool's Northern Ireland Development Centre at the age of nine. Their growth is the result of the long-term efforts of Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe and others.
'I don't think I have words to describe it all,' said Bradley with a smile on his face, 'I've been a fan of Liverpool since I was five years old and I was able to win trophies with the team at Wembley......I'm really excited. ”
I think it's all down to the manager who has a lot of faith in us as young. Both the Under-21s and Under-18s play the same way and it's much easier to break into the first team. He's a very special manager and I have to cherish every moment with him because he's going to be gone in the summer. “
Jurgen Klopp's talent line undoubtedly represents the future of Liverpool. The challenge for them is how to make sure the structure and culture of the team remain the same.
Robertson admits frankly:
The youngsters are fearless.
They play with conviction and they let go. At the pre-game dinner you can see how much of our squad is missing, thanks to the youngsters, and you can see how excited they are when they realise they're going to get their chance.
They are young and quick, and they handle the ball very calmly, which allows us to persevere. He was probably the oldest player on the pitch who won the game for us and he was different. We gave it our all and we got the winner's medal. ”