Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson's latest international achievements underline their legendary status
No one would argue with the fact that both Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson are undisputed Liverpool legends. The pair were instrumental to all the trophies won under Jürgen Klopp and Arne Slot, with the centre-back still one of the first names on Andoni Iraola's team sheet, while the left-back's nine-year Anfield career came to an end in the summer.
Meantime, both are also among the greatest players to ever represent their respective national teams, with both reaching historic landmarks this weekend. On Sunday night, Virgil van Dijk has been named in the Netherlands' starting lineup to take on Serbia at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven.
This will be the 35 year old's 100th cap for the Oranje, just the 11th Dutchman to reach this landmark.
Netherlands players with 100+ caps
| Players | Netherlands career | Total caps |
|---|---|---|
| Wesley Sneijder | 2003-2018 | 134 |
| Edwin van der Sar | 1995-2008 | 130 |
| Memphis | 2013-present | 112 |
| Frank de Boer | 1990-2004 | 112 |
| Rafael van der Vaart | 2001-2013 | 109 |
| Daley Blind | 2013-2024 | 108 |
| Giovanni van Bronckhorst | 1996-2010 | 106 |
| Dirk Kuyt | 2004-2014 | 104 |
| Robin van Persie | 2005-2017 | 102 |
| Phillip Cocu | 1996-2006 | 101 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 2015-2026 | 100 |
There is other Liverpool interest in the top ten, namely former Reds attacker Dirk Kuyt, as well as Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was Arne Slot's assistant last season. In the near future, van Dijk will be looking to overtake both of them, among others. Having already intimated that he will retire from international football after Euro 2028, were the Oranje to reach the final and van Dijk play in every match between now and then, he would reach 123 caps, falling just short of the record.
Well, had Holland not failed to qualify for both Euro 2016 and Russia 2018, with the Liverpool defender himself sitting out the Qatar World Cup due to an ACL injury, he would have hit the 100 mark long ago. In a bizarre coincidence, as already alluded to, van Dijk was not the only Anfield legend to reach 100 caps this weekend.
Andy Robertson's momentous night
On Saturday night, Sébastien Pocognoli claimed his first victory as Scotland manager, beating North Macedonia 2-0 at Toše Proeski National Arena. The night in Skopje was all about Andy Robertson, who reached 100 caps for his country, delighted to have a win and a clean sheet to mark the occasion.
Amazingly, since making his debut against Poland at Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw in March 2024, Scotland have played 127 matches, with Robertson featuring in almost 79% of them, underlining his consistency. So now, Robertson has the record in his sights. The only other Scotsman to have ever accumulated 100 caps is Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish, who racked up 102 between 1971 and 1986.
Thus, assuming he features, Robertson will match Dalglish's tally when North Macedonia visit Hampden next month, before becoming the outright record holder against Switzerland in St. Gallen three days later. It is though an insane coincidence that two Liverpool legends both achieved this feat 24 hours apart.