In what was one of the most important signings in the history of the club, the arrival of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool in 2018 resulted in the club achieving success on the global stage.
The club initially received criticism for the then-record £75 million fee for a defender they paid Southampton for the Dutchman's signature, with many in the football world gawking at the figure.
However, it didn't take long for van Dijk to repay the money in spades as his second season at Anfield culminated in a UEFA Champions League trophy.
Five years on from his debut, the towering centre-half is unequivocally one of the best defenders in the history of the Premier League and the surprising aspect of it is that his story is still being written.
Changing Liverpool's fortunes
Photo credit PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool struggled defensively in Klopp's first two seasons at the helm, with the German's gegenpressing at full effect with plenty of goals scored and plenty conceded.
The likes of Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan were never the defensive stalwarts that were going to shore up the backline, making the signing of van Dijk (at whatever cost) imperative for Liverpool to make that next step.
After signing in the January transfer window, the Reds conceded just nine goals in the last 13 league games of the season, compared to 29 in the first half of the season.
His impact was felt instantly as the club secured Champions League football yet again and made their first final in the competition since 2007, albeit losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in the finale.
Despite the loss, it was obvious the trajectory the club were on after bringing in van Dijk who was immediately the leader of the defence.
Success in the form of trophies
It wasn't long before the plaudits the Dutch national received for transforming the Liverpool defence soon turned into praise for leading the side to trophies.
Starting with the Champions League trophy in 2019 after a 2-0 win against league rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the club went on to win every competition they competed in, completing a clean sweep of honours in a historic period for the club.
The star defender has also had his fair share of individual awards, winning PFA Players' Player of the year and Player of the Season for his performances in the 2018-19 season.
He's also been included in the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 on three occasions – 2019, 2020, and 2022 – the same amount of times he's also been selected in the PFA Team of the Year (2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22).
At 31 years old, van Dijk has at least four to five years at the top level and that can potentially be stretched to his late 30s, similar to Thiago Silva, due to his IQ and reading of the game.
The Dutchman is a modern-day legend for Liverpool and it'll be a long time before fans witness a player of his stature and what he was able to achieve.
MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 01: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates with the Champions League Trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on June 01, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Netherlands' defender Virgil van Dijk walks past the trophy after the UEFA Nations League final football match between Portugal and The Netherlands at the Dragao Stadium in Porto on June 9, 2019. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - (FromL) Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and Argentinian forward Lionel Messi pose with their trophy at the end of the UEFA Champions League football group stagedraw ceremony in Monaco on August 29, 2019. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk (R) poses with his trophy of Best Men's player in Europe of the Year next to host US journalist Pedro Pinto during the end of the UEFA Champions League football group stage draw ceremony in Monaco on August 29, 2019. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk celebrates with the trophy after winning the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool, at Wembley stadium, in London, on May 14, 2022. - - NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
(top L-R) Liverpool's German goalkeeper Loris Karius, Liverpool's Senegalese midfielder Sadio Mane, Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino, Liverpool's Croatian defender Dejan Lovren, Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (bottom L-R) Liverpool's English midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Liverpool's English midfielder James Milner, Liverpool's English midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's English midfielder Jordan Henderson and Liverpool's Scottish defender Andrew Robertson pose before the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Liverpool and Roma at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, north west England on April 24, 2018. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool's English striker Danny Ings (L) and Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk react at the final whistle the UEFA Champions League second leg quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Liverpool, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England on April 10, 2018.
Liverpool won 2-1. / AFP PHOTO / Paul ELLIS (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates as he scores their second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on January 5, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Southampton's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on December 28, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Southampton's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Europa League group K football match between Southampton and Inter Milan at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England, on November 3, 2016. / AFP / GLYN KIRK (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 19: Virgil van Dijk of Southampton is closed down by Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford on August 19, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES - NOVEMBER 13: Wales player Tom Lawrence (r) shoots at goal watched by Virgil van Dijk during the friendly International match between Wales and Netherlands at Cardiff City Stadium on November 13, 2015 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Virgil van Dijk of Southampton celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Leicester City at St Mary's Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
GLASGOW,UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 23: PFA player of the year nominees Virgil Van Dijk (L) and Stefan Johansen of Celtic pose at the Scottish Premiership Player of the Year Awards Nominees photocall at the Hilton on April 23, 2015 in Glasgow,Scotland. (Photo by Jeff Holmes/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 19 : Virgil Van Dijk of Celtic celebrates scoring a goal with his team mates during the William Hill Scottish Cup Semi Final match between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Celtic at Hamden Park on April 19, 2015 in Glasgow Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Dutch national football team's defender Virgil van Dijk (C) arrives at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport on September 3, 2014, prior to the team's departure for Italy, on the eve of an international friendly football match against Italy. AFP PHOTO / ANP / REMKO DE WAAL **NETHERLANDS OUT** (Photo by - / ANP / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 22: James Forrest (L) of Celtic is congratulated by teammate Virgil van Dijk of Celtic after scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Celtic and Ajax at Celtic Park Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Celtic's Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk speaks at a press conference at Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, on September 30, 2013 ahead of their UEFA Champions League last sixteen football match against Barcelona on October 1, 2013. AFP PHOTO / IAN MACNICOL (Photo credit should read Ian MacNicol/AFP via Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 01: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk celebrates after scoring the first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on March 01, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)