In UAE Pro League Matchday 4, the Netherlands defeated Serbia 2-1. After the match, Virgil van Dijk, who reached 100 caps for the national team, spoke with ESPN.

Journalist: What was the best moment of the evening for you?

Virgil van Dijk: My family came to watch, and I walked onto the pitch with my son holding my hand. We won the match. Ultimately, what I want is to win—it's that simple.

Journalist: Of course. This is a milestone game marking 100 appearances, not one you'd want to end in defeat.

Virgil van Dijk: Absolutely not, no question about it.

Journalist: When you walked out with your son, did you feel he was overwhelmed by this momentous occasion?

Virgil van Dijk: No, no, no. You might think so, but he's actually quite calm and mature for his age. From the moment we entered the stadium, he was waving to the fans—I didn't even know who he was waving at because our seats were on the other side of the pitch. But yes, he's someone I'm very proud of.

Journalist: Does he have what it takes to play football?

Virgil van Dijk: Haha, we'll find out in a few years. He trains regularly and plays, so we'll see.

Journalist: As a father, that's truly a remarkable experience. Emotionally, is this 100th appearance significantly different from the previous 99—does it feel more important?

Virgil van Dijk: During the match, when you're fully focused, you only think about the game itself. But before and after, there's no doubt these are special moments. The rest of the time, I concentrate on winning. We succeeded, and now I'm here talking with you—I'm very proud of that.

Journalist: Is pride the most important word for this evening?

Virgil van Dijk: Yes. But more importantly, I'm grateful. First, I'm grateful to my family—they're the most important people in my life. I'm also grateful to all my teammates. I said it in the dressing room just now: I'm grateful to the coaching staff, to former teammates, to current teammates... and now I continue toward even more appearances.

Journalist: Marian mentioned yesterday that he hadn't had time to get you a gift yet, but...

Virgil van Dijk: Well, that's a bit disappointing, yes.

Journalist: Right.

Virgil van Dijk: He told me face to face—he was quite sorry about it. Haha, that's alright.

Journalist: So what gift did you end up receiving?

Virgil van Dijk: I received a beautiful commemorative coin and a kind message from Marian. I'm truly grateful for that.

Journalist: What does this 100th cap for the national team mean to you?

Virgil van Dijk: Reaching 100 appearances for the national team proves this isn't an achievement everyone can reach. And I...

Journalist: Are you the 11th player in history to do so?

Virgil van Dijk: Yes. When I was young, I never dreamed of such things. When I started professionally at Groningen, this wasn't a realistic goal. That's not to say I lacked confidence, but I simply thought: playing for the Netherlands is great, but 100 caps? That seemed very distant.

Journalist: Why did it seem so distant back then?

Virgil van Dijk: I'm generally not someone who looks too far ahead. That's probably one reason I've been successful as a footballer. I take it one step at a time. Yes, there are moments when you're regularly selected and playing, and as you approach 100 appearances, you focus all your effort on achieving it. But my goal isn't to stop at 100.

Journalist: Right. Back in October 2015, when Kazakhstan played their first match at the Astana Arena, did you certainly not think, "This is the beginning of a long journey"?

Virgil van Dijk: No, I didn't think that back then. But I did believe I would play many more matches for the national team.

Journalist: So how many appearances do you think you'll ultimately reach?

Virgil van Dijk: Haha, with the fixture congestion these days, I think Coach Xavi just mentioned that reaching these milestones is easier now than before. So I can't say for certain. It depends on your performance on the pitch, how you maintain your fitness, how well you prepare for everything.

Journalist: So you'll never say, "100 caps, mission accomplished, that's it"?

Virgil van Dijk: Absolutely not. That's impossible. I won't stop now, never. Especially considering the team's current momentum and what areas we can continue to develop in the future, I'm confident I can still play an important role.

Journalist: Do we need to talk more about this match?

Virgil van Dijk: That depends on whether you want to or not. Haha.

Journalist: In your view?

Virgil van Dijk: In the end, we won.

Journalist: Right. In the closing stages, we saw everyone defending, all of you camped in front of goal.

Virgil van Dijk: Yes, that's correct. When we were down to 10 men and the opposition pushed their goalkeeper forward with everyone pressing, we had to defend with everything we had. Fortunately, we managed it.

Journalist: There was also an interesting tactical adjustment on this special 100-cap evening—you played as a right-back?

Virgil van Dijk: That's quite interesting, isn't it? Haha.

Journalist: Whose idea was it?

Virgil van Dijk: I learned about it this morning.

Journalist: What did you think at the time?

Virgil van Dijk: Just do it! What else can you do? I knew for certain this isn't my most familiar position. But the coach needed a right-back, and against Serbia with their possession and their typical three-defender setup, I fully understood his plan. Considering Timber couldn't play a long spell, I focused and gave my best effort. That's it. And we succeeded.

Journalist: But from another perspective, is there really such a significant difference between shifting 7.5 meters to the right versus 7.5 meters to the left?

Virgil van Dijk: It's not that straightforward! Your entire body mechanics and movement patterns are completely different. All your muscle memory is built for the left side. Whether it's long diagonal passes or...

Journalist: Including how you receive the ball and your positioning?

Virgil van Dijk: Exactly—receiving the ball, distributing it, all the tactical details. But never mind, we won the match 2-1. Thank you all very much.

Journalist: Well done reaching this 100-cap milestone. It's been a remarkable memory, a remarkable evening.

Virgil van Dijk: Thank you so much. This is an evening I'm very proud of, and I look forward to playing many more matches ahead.

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