Virgil van Dijk has already won the biggest fight of his life.
The Dutchman had to call on every ounce of his strength 10 years ago when he underwent an emergency operation after suffering a burst appendix.
Van Dijk’s mother, Ruby, was told by doctors that it was only her son’s remarkable levels of fitness that enabled him to pull through after the potentially fatal condition also led to him suffering peritonitis and uraemia.
Van Dijk said: “I looked death in the eye - and it was a terrible experience.
“For the first time in my life, football meant nothing to me. It was not important at all. This was all about trying to stay alive.
“My mother and I were both praying to God and, to be honest, we were discussing various scenarios.
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“At one point, I had to sign these documents. It was a will. If I would die in hospital, part of my money would go to my mum.
“Nobody wanted to raise this issue, but it needed to be dealt with because there was a chance that I would die there and then.
“I remember lying in bed. All I could see were tubes and wires on my body.
“My body was broken. I was not capable of anything. The worst things went through my mind.”
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Van Dijk was just 17 and at the end of his first season with Groningen when he started complaining of stomach pains during a training session.
He refused to cut the session short after being examined by medical staff.
And even though his condition began to deteriorate over the next 48 hours, the centre-back still refused to see a doctor.
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Even when he accepted team-mate Tim Keurntjes’ offer to drive him to hospital in the early hours of the morning, medics assured him that he was in good health and sent him home with a prescription for pain killers.
That prompted Van Dijk’s mum to make a three-hour drive to see her son and she immediately called for an ambulance when she discovered him curled up in agony at his apartment.
Van Dijk underwent an emergency operation before spending the next few days in intensive care.
When he returned to Groningen for pre-season training he had lost more than a stone in weight.
