Revealed: New pre-match ritual introduced by Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool after inheriting the captain’s armband from Jordan Henderson

The commanding Dutch defender saw Jurgen Klopp pass him the armband ahead of the 2023-24 campaign as former skipper Jordan Henderson prepared to depart for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq. The Netherlands international was an obvious choice to take on leadership duties given the position he plays and the respect that he has earned down the years.

Van Dijk was quick to put his own stamp on things, with the former Celtic and Southampton star making a point of herding his team-mates together before a ball is kicked on any given matchday. He has said of putting that rule in place: "It was something that we did when I was a Celtic player. And I always liked it because I thought it set the tone for the game and it also gave the crowd a signal that we were ready to go. It can also help the atmosphere with it being so close to the match starting, so if our fans want to join in by building up the noise and adding to the sense of anticipation I certainly won't complain, even if it makes it difficult for me to make myself heard."

There has been plenty of change on the field at Anfield in recent transfer windows, with Van Dijk now forming part of Liverpool’s leadership group alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Alisson and Mohamed Salah. He added on that pack: "This club has had some incredible captains over the years, leaders who would bring the best out of themselves and their team time and time again. So to be on the list with people like that is definitely not the kind of thing that I would have expected when I started playing. But the most important thing for me is that I am part of a team of leaders, individually, who find their own way to take responsibility no matter who is wearing the armband."

Van Dijk is following in the illustrious footsteps of Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia, Ian Rush, Alan Hansen, Phil Neal, Graeme Souness, Phil Thompson and Emlyn Hughes as captain of Liverpool – with several of those iconic former skippers having filled the same centre-half berth that he currently occupies.