Having salvaged a draw for the Netherlands with a last-minute equaliser against Germany on Monday evening – ensuring his side’s progression to the semi-finals of the Uefa Nations League in the process – Virgil van Dijk was already the man of the moment for the Oranje.
He made further headlines for a moment captured on camera at the end of the game, however, when he approached referee Ovidiu Hategan and could be seen consoling the official. Hategan was visibly upset at the final whistle, with Van Dijk putting an arm around his shoulders.
The Liverpool defender explained the gesture after the game, revealing that Hategan’s mother had died. Quoted in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, he said: “The referee broke down and started to cry, because his mother recently passed away. I wished him strength and said that he had officiated the game well. It may be something small, but I hope it helped.”
| Virgil van Dijk on consoling referee Ovidiu Hategan after the game, "He broke down, stood with tears in his eyes because he had just lost his mother. I wished him strength & said he had refereed well. It's a small thing, but maybe it helps him."
— Steven Gerrard (@Gerrard8FanPage) November 20, 2018
This follows Van Dijk giving his jacket to a young mascot to keep her warm ahead of the Netherlands’ 2-0 win against France last week, another moment which quickly went viral.
Van Dijk giving his jacket to the mascot because she was cold
pic.twitter.com/1NQcY78C48
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) November 18, 2018
After a week in which the football news cycle has gone from corporate greed to megalomaniac superclubs and back again, we can only hope that Van Dijk continues to be a decent person and provide us with some welcome respite.
More on Football
The post Virgil van Dijk reveals what he told ‘grief-stricken’ referee Ovidiu Hategan after Netherlands’ match with Germany appeared first on inews.co.uk.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2QX2DC5
Post a Comment