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Virgil van Dijk was insistent that the Premier League trophy had to pass from one distinguished Liverpool captain to the next.

It came from van Dijk's own thinking for Alan Hansen, the previous Anfield leader to hoist the league title in 1990, to be present to give him the trophy amidst fans who had been yearning for 35 years to witness the moment.

Liverpool legend Hansen, having faced severe illness last year, received a warm welcome on the pitch before passing the trophy to van Dijk, sparking festivities that extended into Monday with a grand parade set for Merseyside.



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I'm glad he's looking well now and yeah, I was really happy for him that he also got his moment with the cup because he totally deserved it."

In 2021, a photo of van Dijk and Hansen together post a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid caught fire on the internet after Jamie Carragher hailed them as Liverpool's finest ever centerbacks.

Once again, they reunited on Anfield's hallowed ground with the Premier League trophy, following some convincing by van Dijk.

Hansen — who had kept out of the limelight since he stopped appearing on our screens in 2014 — needed a bit of encouragement to step back into the spotlight for the celebrations.

"I spoke to him when there was a photo a few years ago that me and him took," van Dijk shared, "and I was very keen on getting him here and doing the presentation with me.

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So we got him back and I'm glad that we got him on the pitch."

The snapshot of a delighted Hansen lifting the trophy with van Dijk in front of the Kop is set to become an iconic moment in Liverpool's storied history, something the captain is fully conscious of.



Van Dijk joined an exclusive list of captains to lift a league title

Van Dijk has etched his name alongside Hansen as one of the select captains to have led Liverpool to their 20 league titles, also marking himself as the first Dutchman to captain a Premier League-winning team.

Despite clinching the league title over a month ago, van Dijk confesses he's still processing the achievement.

"To join that list of 11 (Liverpool league winning) captains is something really special and I've never, ever dreamed about it," he expressed.

"That's only because it was far, it was too far for me to think that this could happen.

"But anything is possible for anyone, as long as you keep believing, keep working hard and take it step by step.

"I'm glad that I've managed to write history with my team, with the club and as a Dutchman, and hopefully there's more to come."