The day Van Dijk faced Liverpool's new coach Arne Slot

BeSoccer 26 days ago 9.8k |

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Van Dijk faced Arne Slot ina match between Groningen and PEC Zwolle back in 2013. AFP

An apparent screenshot of Van Dijk and his new coach Arne Slot facing each other in a 2013 Eredivisie match between Groningen and PEC Zwolle has gone viral on social media. The scene does not appear in the summary of the match that the green team have published on their official profiles, but it is true that they did coincide: there were 24 minutes with both of them on the pitch.

The longevity of elite footballers and the youth of coaches is the order of the day and it has materialised in a highly interesting coincidence. Arne Slot, newly confirmed as Liverpool's new manager for next season, faced one of his soon-to-be players, Virgil van Dijk, in an Eredivisie match on 23 February 2013, in the current manager's final campaign before hanging up his boots. In fact, he played just three more games.

The event went viral on social media thanks to an image that appears to be a screenshot of a moment in which both players are in the same visual, although the summary of the match on the home team's official channels does not show this scene. Some say it could be a fake and its veracity has not been proven, although it is true that they shared 24 minutes on the pitch and that the current Reds captain won.

In particular, it did so thanks to a goal by Michael de Leeuw in the 93rd minute. With the three points in the bag, in fact, they secured a seven-point gap over the relegation places while their opponents were only one point clear.

Arne Slot, that season, retired as a fairly recognisable figure at PEC Zwolle. He gave a variety of interviews and spoke at the season's farewell in front of fans who honoured him for a record of more than 250 games for the club. His coaching career began just three years after he hung up his boots and he is currently distinguished by good results at Feyenoord, and he will soon be plotting, with former rival Van Dijk, how to do the same at Anfield.