Virgil van Dijk has had a pretty remarkable first four-and-a-half months at Anfield.

The Dutchman became the most expensive defender in the history of football when he joined Liverpool from Southampton in January for £75m.

He then scored the winner against Everton in the FA Cup on his debut, so didn't have to work hard to become a fans' favourite.

Van Dijk has been a rock in the heart of the Liverpool defence, and has played his part in Jurgen Klopp's side reaching the final of the Champions League.

It will no doubt be his toughest assignment yet, coming up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema against Real Madrid in Kiev, but there is a lot of confidence in the Liverpool camp.

With 40 goals behind them, the Reds are the top scorers in the competition this term, and their attacking options have proven that they can put anyone to the sword.

Mo Salah is four goals short of club legend Ian Rush's record of 47 strikes in a season, while Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have also added their fair share.

But Van Dijk has been praised enormously since stepping into the back four, which has had it's problems under Klopp, but they are a lot less troubling now.

And the former Southampton man revealed that last year's Champions League final was an unbelievable spectacle, and funnily enough was the first place he felt the power of Liverpool fans.

They weren't even in the competition that year, but Van Dijk bumped into some of the Reds' faithful in hospitality, and it's safe to say they left his mark on him.

In fact, it's not untrue to say that it was a key influencer on him moving to the club in January.

Van Dijk told of how the supporters begged him to join, and he certainly found the funny side of it.

"From the moment I got there, a lot of people in hospitality were Liverpool fans and they were saying, ‘Join, please join!'" he started.

"It was funny to see how big the support and fan base of Liverpool is. That sort of thing stays with you.

"Influence? That is a big word, but it does something to you.

"There had been a lot of talk about different clubs at that time. It could have been different fans coming up to me and saying, ‘Come to us’ but 90 per cent of the supporters were Liverpool.

"That says a lot and the people who were with me were like, ‘Woah, there are so many Liverpool fans, it is all over the world!’ It was incredible."

Sure enough, he did go to Anfield, and it will have been the most sensible decision of his career if they lift their sixth European Cup tonight.

If that happens, Van Dijk will be being mobbed by Liverpool fans all over again.