Virgil van Dijk spent Christmas and New Year’s with friends and family in his home nation of Holland. Thank the Lord, he spent this year’s holidays on a Glasgow pulpit.

He expressed thankfulness for his professional football lifestyle as well as the fact that he had a job. Adversity has taught van Dijk to appreciate life’s benefits, resulting in his being mature at the age of 22.

Willem II nearly let go of Celtic’s £2.6 million summer purchase six years ago due to his enormous girth and slowness.

After three years, when he was permitted to resume his profession in Groningen, he dropped 2.5 stone and spent 12 days in the hospital owing to a bad intestinal infection. His lower belly still has a prominent scar.

He had plenty of excuses to collapse on Hogmanay, given that he is currently one of Europe’s most promising young defenders.

“This New Year’s Eve, I went to church to say some prayers after spending the night with my girlfriend until ten o’clock,” he said. I prayed for my loved ones, including my partner and family.

We went to the hotel to meet the team the next day for our game.

I used to go to church every Sunday when I was younger, but as I got older, I stopped. However, I believe that praying has helped me get through some difficult situations on occasion.

Thankful: On New Year’s Eve, Van Dijk visited church and prayed for his girlfriend and family.

When asked to recount the hardest periods, he lifts his Celtic training shirt to reveal two scars.

One is on the right side of his abdomen and measures around three inches in length. The other goes vertically from beneath his waist to his belly button.

Pointing to the scar on the right, he said, “They tried to operate on this one.” But they couldn’t, so they shut it down and relocated their activities to this facility.

“It was an incredible surgery.” My abdomen was filled with an abscess.

“I was very sick.” The doctors judged it to be exceedingly risky.

I shed approximately 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds). Poisoning my system led the abscess to practically erupt. I spent twelve days in the hospital since it was risky. I am fortunate that it did not explode.

However, I had many drains inserted into my body. It was a worrying time since it seemed to come out of nowhere.

They thought it was just a stomach ache, so they gave me some medication, but it was the wrong type.

After that, I had something green in my stomach for two days. I felt terrible to my stomach. I returned to the medics, who conducted multiple pee tests.

“They found nothing, but I had to go to the hospital the next day because I was in too much pain to bear.”

“They said that I required the surgery.”

A difficult situation: Van Dijk required surgery to remove an abscess in his abdomen since he was really ill.

Although he recalls the procedure taking place on April 1, it was serious business for the 19-year-old football player making his league debut. It is evident that the date will always be important. And on June 23, he realised he wasn’t ready to go back.

“I was terrible when I started training again.” He admitted, “I had no muscles, no power—nothing.” However, I participated in every preseason game and steadily recovered. Coming back was a lovely sensation.

In just three years, Celtic and Ajax expressed interest in him. Neil Lennon initiated action, but Frank de Boer backed off.

After signing a £2.6 million contract, Van Dijk has proven himself to be the best summer addition. Fast, strong in the air, and an astute observer of English game reports, he announced on Wednesday that Manchester City and Arsenal are now interested.

Van Dijk says he is “flattered” yet unimpressed by the response. He had taught himself to live in the present moment even before the abscess.

He went on to say, “I was a little slow at Willem II when I was younger, at 16, and they thought I was too small.” They almost sent me off after putting me at right back.

At the time, I was sixteen. For me, it was a particularly dangerous moment because they were considering my deportation.

I was one of the team’s weakest players. I did miserably as a player. I was small and slow, not very good.

I didn’t do much gaming. They were just about to let me leave.

However, I grew 20 centimetres the next season. That growth spurt produced problems with my knees.

However, after I got past it, everything improved. I took the opportunity Willem presented to me with both hands. I gained leadership of the organisation.

More significantly, he returned to playing centre defence, which he had always considered his best position. As an adolescent, he attempted every sport imaginable and excelled at each one. But he’d always knew he was talented in football.

He said, “I was the kind of boy who could do anything.” I was good at swimming, tennis, basketball, and badminton.

I could participate in any activity. I then enrolled in a sports trainer course at my high school to get ready for coaching.As a result, I was required to participate in numerous sports for a period of time.

I adore all sports, but my favourite is basketball. I adore basketball. I doubt I could have finished it in a professional manner.

“My goal has always been to play football.” When we played school sports, I was generally one of the best players in the class.

However, he acknowledges that doubt arose in his mind as a result of the increasing pains at Willem II and stomachaches at Groningen.

When asked what he would have done if everything had ended abruptly, he shrugged and replied, “I might have gone back to school.”

“It is now impossible for me to imagine what my life would have been like if I had not chosen to play football.”

It would have been extremely odd. I am glad for what I now have. I love my life now because I get to do things I adore.

In addition, I am compensated to do what I enjoy. It is a great thing to possess.

“Everything occurs for a purpose, and perhaps my experience was meant to be.”

But it taught me a lot. In many respects, I believe I’ve grown as a person.

Grateful: The defender admits that without football, he doesn’t know what he would have done.

And he’s happier, too. His employment is going well, and with the help of girlfriend Rike Nooitgedagt, he’s adjusting to Glasgow more easily.

“I’m glad she joined me; it’s important to have someone here to help you with everything,” he told her. “She has a demanding job before coming to Scotland with me, so she does some charitable work and relaxes.”

She had to leave her job as a sales manager in Holland for me. She made an important decision there, and I appreciate it.

“I think the main reason I have settled in so well is that she is here, which is really important.”