Virgil van Dijk is not only a great player, but also a great man.
The Netherlands fought hard to get a 2-2 draw against Germany. As the Oranje captain, Van Dijk shook hands with the referee Ovidiu Hategan - who was apparently seen crying, however, after the match.
Van Dijk asked for why and got a response that the referee has recently lost his mother, before consoling him with a big hug and some kind words.
"He (Hategan) broke down and stood with tears in his eyes," says Van Dijk. "It's because he has just lost his mother."
"I wish him strength and said that he has had a good match (as referee). It's a small thing, but perhaps it could help him."
38-year-old Hategan has been a FIFA referee since 2008 and is also recognized as one of the UEFA Elite Referees. He was part of the officiating teams for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and UEFA Euro 2012 qualification.
GIF & VIDEO: VAN DIJK CONSOLING REFEREE
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It must be a week which Van Dijk should remember for many good reasons.
Apart from scoring a last-minute volley goal to equalize the score and eventually send the Netherlands into Nations League final four, he also gave his jacket to the mascot girl before the match in order to keep her warm in their last game against France.
luvincr7
349
well that's the sportsmanship of the best defender in the world right now
rillo9
306
I would never have thought Van could be more excellent in his days.. Considering his former club Southampton performance.. He was unargubly one of the best then as wrll.. But since he got to Liverpool, he has played beyond his World rating and also showed class why Liverpool paid that huge amount to get him... Forget it.. To me he is the best defender now.. Am not a fan of Liverpool but i see him getting nominated in future awards in eroupe and all around the world.... Another class consoling the refree after the match was a huge domain.... Welldone Van...... Good sportsmanship........ Sergio Ramos could learn now.. It's not about killing or trying to kill a player on the pitch.
Madrista_forever
277
Humanity restored that's why we say it's no just football it's something else here in Spain and all around the world
MonexLoza
239
rise of vvd....an example to be looked upon
makdklsuz
234
Respect
teebrown
177
Aside from this,this guy is the best defender currently,let's not talk of trophies and the rest,he is the best.
Voycdnrtuz
108
This was the worst night ever for Ovidiu Hategan .He found out the death of his mother in the half time of the match .We need to admire that he was able to official the second half very well even with this sad news . I hope this will show that the referees are also humans because he started to cry at the full time . He did this job and this shows that he also deserves to be in the elite . Virgin did something really nice but Hategan will need time to recover from this.