Virgil van Dijk has received support from another Dutch sporting superstar ahead of the Netherlands’ crunch Euro 2024 showdown with England.
Max Verstappen knows exactly what it’s like to go up against British rivals. His 2021 title fight with Lewis Hamilton was the stuff of Formula 1 legend while, more recently, he has faced stern competition from Lando Norris.
Verstappen was outqualified by both of them and the other Briton on the F1 grid, George Russell, at the British Grand Prix last weekend. And though he got the better of two of them in the race, he couldn’t catch Hamilton who recorded his first race win since December 2021.
The Red Bull racer is hoping his national football team can have more success when they face off with England in Dortmund tonight. Asked about how he thinks the Netherlands will fare, Verstappen backed his friend Van Dijk and his team-mates to get the job done.
He said: “For sure, I’ll watch it. I always text with Virgil [van Dijk] a bit here and there before or after a match. Honestly, I don’t need to tell them anything. I mean, I think they know much better what or how they have to prepare and work themselves and with, of course, everyone involved in the team, right?
“So, of course, actually, I hope that Holland wins. I mean, it’s simple, but hopefully it’s just going to be a great game. And actually, of course, it would be great to be in the final.”
Verstappen was speaking in a press conference which also had two other drivers in – both Brits. Hamilton showed off the one Dutch phrase he knows, which Verstappen translated to, ‘How are you?’, before reflecting on watching England’s penalty shootout win over Switzerland which he watched on stage at Silverstone with team-mate Russell and a huge crowd of fans.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell watched England’s win over Switzerland with a massive crowd at Silverstone (
Image:
Formula 1 via Getty Images)
He said: “I actually have never sat… I’ve been in a pub growing up watching a match, but sitting last night watching with 20-plus thousand people was really, really incredible. And I’m grateful I had that experience with George. I think really we all just wished them the best.
“I’m sure they will want to play better and will know that they will know what they need to do. They will know that they will probably want to elevate their game and lots of learnings from every single game, just as like we have from every single race. So I will be with them and I’m sure everyone will be out in full force.”
And Norris added: “I’m sure for anyone in any sport, as soon as you have people trying to tell you what to do, it’s not a nice thing. Just wish them the best. Like Lewis said, I’m sure they always want to play well. And I’m sure they always do their best. The whole of the country is supporting them from the British side, the UK. And we’ll all be watching and wishing them the best.”
