Liverpool has been confirmed as Premier League champion and that means it won’t be long until Virgil van Dijk gets to lift another trophy. And the Reds captain has been thinking about such a moment.
“It doesn’t really matter to me [when it happens],” Van Dijk told reporters before Arsenal played Crystal Palace. “I want to be champions of England and let the dream come true.
“I would love to lift the cup with the club I love so much. If it doesn’t happen on Wednesday then we have the opportunity to do it on Sunday in front of our own fans at a red Anfield. It will be special, that is for sure.
“But let’s see what this week brings. As a Liverpool fan, I think you have to be excited and be up for it — (Spurs) is a big game regardless, and it will interesting games after that as well.”
But when will Van Dijk lift the trophy? Liverpool fans will have to wait until the final game of the season against Crystal Palace, when the game is essentially going to be an afterthought.
Just like last season when Jurgen Klopp’s departure was the story of the day, Liverpool will be playing and will want to win, but the result will be irrelevant. The Reds have wrapped up the title and the final matches of the campaign don’t matter.
A trophy parade is likely to follow the final game of the season on the late May bank holiday in the UK. Liverpool fans lined the streets in 2019 when the Reds won the Champions League and did so again for the FA Cup and Carabao Cup double in 2022.
(Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
This, though, is likely to be an even more joyous occasion. Klopp himself has already suggested that he will come back to Merseyside to make an appearance having done his bit in leaving behind a strong team for Arne Slot to inherit.
Klopp remains an ambassador for Liverpool, having supported the LFC Foundation throughout his time in charge of the club. And it is in that role that he will make his return to the city next month.
The German is set to be the guest speaker at the LFC Foundation gala dinner at Liverpool Cathedral on Friday, May 23. The event falls two days before Liverpool’s final game of the Premier League season, when it will take on Crystal Palace at Anfield.
