Why ‘big brother’ Van Dijk is key to Netherlands’ World Cup dreams

Olivier Giroud has spent years testing defences at the highest level, but even he singles out Virgil van Dijk as a defender who stands apart. The France striker, a World Cup winner in 2018 with Les Bleus, now sees the Netherlands captain as the cornerstone of a Dutch side that could yet lift the trophy in Qatar. With knockout football demanding resilience as much as creativity, Giroud’s verdict carries weight: a team cannot win a World Cup without a solid defence, and the Dutch look primed to provide just that.

A leader at the back, still at the top

Giroud’s praise is not casual. He points to the entire Dutch backline—Denzel Dumfries or Jurrien Timber in the right-back slot, Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky Van de Ven as the two centre-backs flanking Van Dijk—as a unit that has impressed throughout the tournament. Nearly all have delivered strong club seasons: Dumfries has been a consistent attacking outlet for Inter Milan, Timber starred in Ajax’s Champions League run before his move to Arsenal, and Van de Ven’s rapid rise at Tottenham has been one of the Premier League’s breakout stories. Their collective pace, energy, and physicality give the Netherlands an edge in transition. Van Dijk, now 34 and approaching his 15th year as a professional, remains the captain and the defensive anchor, a role he has fulfilled for years despite Liverpool’s struggles this season. Giroud dismisses concerns over his form, arguing that the problems lay with his club, not the defender himself. “He is still the leader of that Dutch defence,” Giroud said, “and he has not just got talented players around him, they have got lots of pace and energy and physicality too.”

Age, Giroud notes, has not diminished Van Dijk’s impact. He cites older attackers like Portugal’s 37-year-old Pepe—who has been a defensive rock in Qatar—or Argentina’s 35-year-old Lionel Messi, who remains the tournament’s creative fulcrum, as proof that elite players can defy the calendar. Giroud places Van Dijk among the game’s most formidable centre-backs, a group that includes not just Pepe but also France’s own William Saliba, whose performances have been pivotal in Les Bleus’ deep run. “He is still at the top of his game,” Giroud insisted. That confidence matters now, with the tournament shifting to tighter, harder-fought duels where defensive solidity decides ties. England, for instance, will need to tighten up at the back after their high-scoring group-stage wins against Iran and Wales, while the Dutch look built to weather storms with their organised, aggressive structure.

Respect and rivalry: the Giroud-Van Dijk dynamic

Their history adds texture to the narrative. Giroud and Van Dijk have clashed repeatedly in European competitions, and the striker admits the defender once named him his “bogeyman” after scoring key goals against him in Ligue 1 during their time together at Montpellier and Arsenal. Giroud reciprocates the respect, ranking Van Dijk among the toughest defenders he has faced, alongside Sergio Ramos—whose physicality and leadership defined Real Madrid’s golden era—and Portugal’s Pepe, whose aerial dominance and aggression have made him a nightmare for strikers. “We have had some great duels down the years,” he said. The playful rivalry even produced a memorable snapshot from 2018, when Giroud chest-controlled a ball during a Ligue 1 match and Van Dijk appeared to lose balance in a duel. “I won that one,” Giroud joked, though he acknowledged it was a rare victory in a rivalry that has mostly gone the other way. “That’s why it is funny. There must be many other pictures where he is up, and it is me down on the floor!”

That banter masks a deeper truth: Van Dijk’s presence elevates everyone around him. His ability to read the game, organise the defence, and win physical duels—even at 34—gives the Netherlands a platform to attack with confidence. For a side that has flirted with defensive fragility in the past, such as their shaky displays in the 2021 Nations League final or the Euro 2020 round-of-16 exit, his consistency is priceless. Giroud’s endorsement underscores how far Van Dijk has come since his early struggles in England, when questions lingered over his adaptation to the Premier League’s physicality. Now, he is the elder statesman of a Dutch team brimming with potential, a leader whose influence extends beyond his defensive duties into the very culture of the squad.

Why this matters now

The World Cup has already delivered more goals than any previous edition—2.67 per game in the group stage, a record for a tournament with 32 teams—but the knockout stages reward teams that can control games as much as they create them. Giroud’s observation—that solidity at the back is as vital as firepower—frames the Dutch challenge. Their backline, built for speed and aggression, allows them to press high and recover quickly, a formula that could trouble even the tournament’s most potent attacks. Van Dijk’s leadership in defence will be tested against opponents like Argentina, who thrive on transitions, or France, whose frontline of Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud himself, and Antoine Griezmann can exploit any defensive lapse. But his experience and composure provide a crucial buffer.

If the Netherlands are to go deep in Qatar, they will need Van Dijk to continue marshalling a defence that has already caught the eye. His partnership with teammates like Timber and Van de Ven offers a blend of steel and athleticism, while Dumfries provides overlapping threat from right-back. The Dutch have the ingredients for a deep run, but the acid test comes in the next round. Van Dijk’s ability to marshal his troops, win aerial duels—he averages 4.2 successful aerial challenges per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season—and snuff out danger will decide whether this side can finally shed the label of nearly men. His duels with Mbappé, who has already scored five goals in Qatar, will be pivotal.

The road ahead is unforgiving, but Giroud’s words offer a clear-eyed assessment: Van Dijk remains the heartbeat of this defence. In a tournament where margins are razor-thin, that could be the difference between glory and heartbreak.