The life of footballers goes beyond the football pitch as many are married or in a relationship and they have something to fall back on when they leave the pitch. This is almost the same for all players and Liverpool defender, Virgil Van Dijk is not an exception.
The Dutch international has been successful on the pitch ever since joining Liverpool, the same as off the pitch in his personal life. When the 29-year-old joined Liverpool in the winter of 2018, little was known about his personal life but we will be diving into some of his personal life, especially who his wife is. Virgil Van Dijk’s wife, Rike Nooitgedagt is a very conservative lady that very little is known about as she keeps off many social spaces.
RIke Nooitgedagt has been the secret behind VVD’s laughter and the reason he is very happy on the field and not having personal issues to think of. It has been a wonderful story for the two of them as they have been together since their early days. Many expect that when VVD got bigger pay, he might ditch her but here they are as one after several years together.
To really know who Nooitgedagt is has proven to be more difficult but it can be seen that they are deliberate about letting the public know very little about their private life. Going out with someone since teenage years means that over time, you have put up each other’s misdemeanor it seems only a few things beyond love can separate them. It is many people’s dream to be with their childhood lover as shows the struggle from grass to grace.
That is the story of Van Dijk and Nooitgedagt. They finally decided it was time to make it official and the got married in 2017. As at then, Van Dijk was still at Southampton so many never paid much attention to him so little was known about his wife then. So it was easy for the couple to have a low key life with little attention as it was what they have always wanted. Up until now, many find it difficult to much about Van Dijk’s wife on social media.
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There is no Wikipedia page for her nor social media accounts anymore as she has deactivated all of them. This made many not have a clue about her age or when exactly they began dating. It is assumed they are of the same age bracket as they started as teenagers. The age really mattered less to either as long as they love each other.
One thing that is however known was that she worked as a sales manager while they were still in Holland and did that till Van Dijk move to Scotland to play for Celtic. It was then she left the job to support her partner. This was a big decision to make for her, just has it would have been for anyone.
She had a job that was decent and had the opportunity of growing herself to the top but had to leave it to travel with her partner. If she had stayed back, the relationship would have ended and if Van Dijk had refused the offer to go to Celtic, his career will stagnate. It was a cross-road.
When Rike Nooitgedagt finally made the decision to move with him to Scotland, it was the beginning of great things for the couple but yet to be known to them then. That year, 2013, will remain one to remember for the couple as it set the stage for everything they have achieved now.
The move to Scotland settled the couple and they started a new life in the United Kingdom. That made things started going great for the player as his lover was always with him. In just one year at Celtic, he was called to the national team and this period happened to be when his wife was pregnant with their first child.
She gave birth to their first baby, a girl whom they name Nila van Dijk. Because the period of childbirth and his first international appearance coincided, he pleaded with his wife to induce the childbirth and allow him make his debut before having the baby. He however was not selected for the game that period and had to wait till the next year before he made his international debut.
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The decision to induce childbirth seems to be a strange one to many but it was worth it as every footballer’s dream is to play for his country especially at the world cup. That first step of making his debut was important and being present at his first childbirth was also important so he had to find a way to be present at both events, hence the reason for the induced birth.
It has to be said that Van Dijk’s wife has contributed to the success of the playoff the pitch. Despite having a secret life, Rike Nooitgedagt influence on her husband is profound and seen by all. The progress he has made in his career ever since that decision to move from Holland to Scotland which she followed him have been in inspirational. He couldn’t have done so much without her presence.
From a player that was bought for €2.75m from Gronigen in July 2013 to becoming the most expensive defender when he joined Liverpool for €84.65m in January 2018, it must have been a real improvement for that to happen all in less than five years. That is what having a great partner does for a player. Ever since moving to the Premier League to join Southampton from Celtic, top clubs have started noticing him as one of the defenders to watch out for.
He could easily have joined any top team in Europe and start when he joined Liverpool. That was how good he was and he has helped them lift the Champions League and Premier League in just two and half seasons at the club. All these successes have the undertone of his wife’s presence in them.