Here’s how LeBron James inspired Virgil van Dijk to achieve greatness with Liverpool

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed that LeBron James’ “Strive For Greatness” motto has pushed him to do well. He added that the Basketball legend’s words are perfect for the Reds, and he tied to follow it personally every time possible.

Speaking at the unveiling of ‘LFC x LeBron’, Van Dijk has nothing but praise for LeBron and claimed that the motto was vital to getting back to his best form at Liverpool. He believes that it also worked for the youngsters that helped the Reds win the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and said:

“That phrase he uses is perfect. I definitely try to 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 are in. We are in a good place to do that this season. There are no guarantees, but we feel like it is quite special with the way we have overcome things as a group, situations like the news of the manager (leaving), at the start of the season all the red cards, how we dealt with the injuries and we cannot forget the young boys. It has been a special season so far, and now we have to see how it ends.”

Virgil van Dijk added:

“I saw the billboard this week (of him and James) and it is amazing. I like basketball. I look at all the top athletes at the highest level because I feel like they are role models for their team and community and there are so many things you can learn. The way they conduct themselves on the pitch or on court, also what they do in order to be great. There is 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 — dealing with difficult moments but also good moments.”

LeBron James is a minority shareholder in Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk has been a key part of the Reds since moving for Southampton but his contract is about to expire.

The Dutchman has revealed that he will wait until the club appoint a new manager as he wants to see what role he has in the future plans before committing his future. The defender will enter his final 12 months when the season ends this summer.

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