On the eve of the upcoming—and unfortunately prolonged—international break, Virgil van Dijk was once again called up for duty by Dutch manager Xavi Hernandez. This shouldn’t be shocking. At 35 years old, Van Dijk is the captain for both his club and country, and is still one of the best defenders in the world.
However, we live in a world where things can be claimed without evidence or logic, and where controversy grabs the headlines. And in such a world, one of the favorite phrases of those making
dubious, headline-grabbing claims is the Trumpian “many people are saying.”
According to former Dutch international Ruud Gullit, many people are saying Virgil van Dijk should retire from the Netherlands national team.
“I don’t know how Virgil Van Dijk is feeling at the moment,” Gullit explained in an interview. “There is a huge debate in Holland over whether he should retire. Yes or no? Some people think that he should. Others say that he shouldn’t.
“I think it’s most important to see how Xavi feels about him and it depends on how Virgil feels about it. If he still feels fit enough, then he should make his decision about it, and that’s up to him.”
Is it really a huge debate, Ruud? Whether one of the best defenders on the planet should continue playing for his national team? Are many people saying it?
Of course, I am not Dutch. Maybe many people are saying that Virgil should retire. However, in looking around the world and the crumbling state of democracy and democratic institutions globally, it’s worth noting that many people are also complete fucking idiots.
Above all else, this feels like just another bit of Dutch Drama before an international break. Indeed, it is a national pastime for former international players to crawl out of the woodwork around an international break, throw a drama bomb about the current squad out into the open, and then vanish again.
We haven’t even started this torturous 3-week international break yet, and I’m already bored of international football.
