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Who Is Premier League Star Virgil van Dijk's Wife, Rike Nooitgedagt?
Meet the wife of Dutch titan Virgil van Dijk, whom he’s been with since childhood.
If you’ve ever tuned into a Liverpool match, even for the untrained eye, it’s impossible not to notice the 6-foot-5 sentinel, laying waste to all ye who dare encroach upon the Reds’ backline. To put it simply, watching Virgil van Dijk defend his domain is awe-inspiring. Between his size, game IQ, his dauntless effort and his absurd blend of explosiveness and touch, van Dijk’s a beast on the pitch in the same way that Aaron Judge is a nightmare on the baseball diamond — he can do things that mortals just shouldn’t be able to do. He earned the PFA Player of the Year award in 2019, and has been a crucial part to Liverpool's recent run of success.
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While van Dijk has quickly risen to be one of the Premier League’s brightest stars since his arrival to Anfield’s hallowed halls in 2018, little is known about his wife Rike Nooitgedagt, who's been his long-term rock throughout his life ever since the couple met during their childhood. Well, we’re here to change that with this breakdown of everything you need to know about her.
How did Virgil Van Dijk meet Rike Nooitgedagt?
Van Dijk and Nooitgedagt grew up together in Breda, Netherlands, and they began dating when they were just teenagers, according to The Sun. As the Dutchman chased his career, Nooitgedagt fully stuck by her man, helping him achieve his dreams as football took them all over Europe, including Scotland when Van Dijk was with Celtic.
What does Rike Nooitgedagt do for a career?
Unlike most WAGS of the English Premier League, Nooitgedagt has shied away from capitalizing on her celebrity status on social media and seems to enjoy living her life with van Dijk and her family away from the spotlight. That said, while the Dutch center-back was waylaying strikers’ dreams of scoring, Nooitgedagt was busily forging a successful career as a fashion sales manager, according to Sportskeeda. Once van Dijk landed in Glasgow in 2013 to play for Celtic, she made the difficult sacrifice to give up her job. Nooitgedagt spoke about the decision to quit her job, explaining that she did it to support van Dijk and his career ambitions.
"I worked as a sales manager and sold different fashion brands to the stores in Holland,” Nooitgedagt explained in 2019. "I loved it but had to resign to follow my man everywhere football takes him to. So far, we've been settling well and having adventures with our lovely dog."
When were Virgil Van Dijk and Rike Nooitgedagt married, and do they have kids?
After dating since they were teenagers back in the Netherlands, Van Dijk and Nooitgedagt’s love story opened a new chapter when the happy couple tied the knot in 2017 while the star defender was still playing for Southampton and not Liverpool.
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Though they tend to live their life away from social media, Nooitgedagt does enjoy expressing her affection for Van Dijk, captioning one snap with, "I love you not only for who you are but for who I am when I'm with you."
In terms of children, according to The Sportslite, Van Dijk and Nooitgedagt share two kids together. Their first daughter Nila was born in 2014, and the couple’s second daughter Jadi was born in 2016.
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