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PLAYING EVERY MINUTE IN THE SEASON, VIRGIL VAN DIJK EQUALS PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD

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Virgil van Dijk has emulated the likes of John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta after helping Liverpool win the Premier League title as they rounded off their season with a win at Newcastle

Virgil van Dijk became just the fifth player to play every minute of a Premier League season for a title winning side.

The Dutchman has been a rock at the back for Liverpool as they returned to the summit of English football for the first time in 30 years.

Jurgen Klopp’s side ended the season with the best defensive record in the league for a second straight year.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Wes Morgan also completed the feat in successive years for Chelsea and Leicester respectively.

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John Terry did so in Jose Mourinho’s first title winning season at Stamford Bridge in 2004/05.

Manchester United’s Gary Pallister did so when they won the first ever Premier League title in 1992/93. And Van Dijk has now made it a five person club following his efforts this season.

The 29-year-old has had several partners in central defence with Klopp chopping and changing between the likes of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

But Van Dijk, who has more than justified his hefty fee, has been the rock at the heart of Liverpool’s back four.

The ambition for the entire Merseyside outfit will be to retain their crown next term.

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And despite their dominance over the past 12 months the Dutchman doesn’t foresee a lack of motivation being a problem.

He said: “It was not too difficult [to motivate ourselves]. We all wanted to show why we’re the champions. We knew it would be tough.

“We made it even more difficult for ourselves but we played well in the second half. It’s good to finish the season on a high and now for a little break.

“It was an outstanding game in the second half. We played amazing football, and created chances. A well deserved win.

“Hopefully we’ll be fresh and ready to go for next season in a couple of weeks.

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“For this beautiful club it’s [their season] outstanding and should spur us to retain the title. It will be tough. Teams will improve and they’ll want to beat us more.

“We’ll focus on each game at a time as we did this season. It will be a new challenge.”

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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