Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk admits that LeBron James and Tom Brady motivate him to unleash his slumbering potentials to be the best. Van Dijk, who recently worked with James on the launch of his new fashion line ‘LFC x LeBron,’ received a motivational note from the basketball legend.
In the message, James states his belief in Van Dijk’s capacity to perform “amazing things” for Liverpool. He encourages him to “strive for greatness” – the title of James’ documentary. Van Dijk embrace James’ ideas. Also understanding the importance of pushing oneself to the limits in all aspects of life and athletics in order to achieve success. There are high hopes that he will employ the phrase for the better cause especially when he faces fierce rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday.
The Liverpool skipper said: “That phrase (Strive for Greatness) he uses is perfect and it could be used for a lot of things. We have had messages passed between us. For me personally, I definitely try and follow that because I want to achieve the most I can in life and get the maximum out of myself, the team and the position we’re in. We’re in a good place to do that this season again. Every season is always a challenge, but this season we’re in a special situation.”
“I look at all the top athletes because I feel they all have a big role, either as a role model or for their team and community. And there are so many things you can learn. There’s LeBron, [Novak] Djokovic, Roger Federer, Tom Brady – I could name so many. I like to listen to these guys and learn how they dealt with being at the top and dealing with difficult moments, but also good moments.”
In adopting aspects of James’ lifestyle, Van Dijk has incorporates personalized recovery methods. This includes having his own physiotherapist and chef, to ensure optimal preparation for each game.
“Those two parts are very important,” he said. “I do my recovery stuff so I can be optimally prepared for the next challenge, especially when you’re having three games a week. It was already fine, but I want to be better and make the most out of it, and that hard work nobody sees is the key to success.”
Van Dijk is confident and at ease after overcoming hurdles what seemed like huge challenges in the previous season. crediting his resurgence to personal growth and development in all parts of the game. With his fresh commitment and inspired mindset, Van Dijk hopes to lead Liverpool to the quadruple in May. And the voyage resumes in a rival territory: Old Trafford.
He adds: “It’s always difficult, it’s always intense. It’s the history of the games with the two biggest clubs in England and that brings extra expectation and pressure.”
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