Virgil van Dijk was caught off guard when an interviewer revealed that they had once faced each other in the Champions League.
The Liverpool captain started in defence on Tuesday night as the Reds hosted Real Madrid at Anfield. In a tight contest, Alexis Mac Allister’s header in the 61st minute sealed a 1–0 win. The result moved Arne Slot’s side up to sixth in their Champions League group with nine points, having also beaten Atletico Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Real Madrid remain ahead of Liverpool due to a better goal difference.
After the final whistle, Van Dijk had an unexpected reunion during his post-match media duties. The interviewer turned out to be Michal Zyro, a former striker he had previously faced on the pitch. In 2014, Zyro’s Legia Warsaw played Van Dijk’s Celtic twice in a Champions League qualifier. Legia won both legs — 4–1 and 2–0 — and Zyro scored once and assisted another. However, Celtic advanced after Legia were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in the second match.
Zyro later moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016, but multiple knee injuries forced him to retire at just 32.
During the interview, Zyro greeted Van Dijk by saying he was happy to see him. Van Dijk joked, “So you scored two goals back then and now you interview me.” Zyro explained how injuries ended his career, and Van Dijk responded sympathetically: “Sorry to hear.”
Zyro went on to say how special it was to speak to him, to which Van Dijk replied: “As long as you’re happy, that’s the most important thing. Keep doing what you’re doing.” The two shared a friendly hug afterwards.
Liverpool now shift focus to the Premier League as they prepare to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
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