🚨Van Dijk on Japan Fans Cleaning the Stadium and Endo Retirement:
🗣️"A reporter caught up with me right on the touchline after the game and asked, 'Virgil, a brilliant personal milestone with your first World Cup goal, but a tough pill to swallow conceding late. How do you summarize the match, and what are your thoughts seeing the Japanese fans staying back to clean the stadium?' I took a second, looked up at the stands, and told him, 'Look, it’s obviously a bit frustrating from our side because we held the lead twice, and connecting with Ryan's cross to get my header into the back of the net felt amazing. But you have to give massive credit to Japan—they are a fantastic, technically gifted side that never knows when they are beaten
But honestly, if you want to talk about what makes football beautiful, just look around the stadium right now. Their team just fought back to secure a massive point at the death, and instead of just wild partying, their supporters are actively walking through the rows with blue trash bags, collecting litter and leaving the stadium completely spotless. It is an incredible display of humility and pure respect that transcends sports. They show the exact same class on the terraces that their players show on the pitch, and the entire world can learn a lot from them.
I also want to take a moment to speak about my #LFC teammate, Wataru Endo. I went over to hug him at full time because I know this tournament marks the final chapter of his incredible international career. He is a warrior, a fantastic leader for the Samurai Blue, and an absolute credit to his country. I told him on the pitch how immensely proud he should be of everything he has built for Japanese football. I wish Wataru nothing but the absolute best of luck in his international retirement—he deserves a legendary send-off, and we are waiting to welcome him back to Merseyside with open arms.'