{
  "id": 8908838,
  "title": "Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will remain Netherlands captain under Xavi",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/liverpool-defender-virgil-van-dijk-will-remain-netherlands-captain",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T11:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/liverpool-defender-virgil-van-dijk-113000147.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will retain his position as captain of the Dutch national team under head coach Xavi. Xavi revealed this after confirming his first squad as head coach of the Netherlands. There had been speculation about van Dijk not being part of the squad, but he remains in the team and keeps the captaincy.\n\nVan Dijk will lead the Netherlands in their opening games in the Nations League, which include fixtures against Germany, Serbia, and Greece. The Liverpool defender will have an opportunity to reach the milestone of 100 caps for his country, currently sitting at 96 appearances following the 2026 World Cup. Van Dijk has scored 13 goals for the Netherlands during his tenure, including 6 games for Liverpool this season. Two of these games were Premier League victories, while the other three ended in draws.\n\nLiverpool's recent form has been mixed, with two wins and three draws in their five Premier League matches. The team has conceded four goals in those games.",
  "summary": "Xavi has confirmed that Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will remain captain of the Dutch national team under him. The former Barcelona head coach was speaking following the announcement of his firs...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}