If Virgil van Dijk ever needs a career outside of football, the Liverpool captain might find that he excels in event planning as much as he does skippering the Premier League champions. It

was Van Dijk who put the cherry on the cake that was last Sunday when Liverpool were being primed to celebrate their first league title success in front of fans for 35 years. As club

officials tried to drum up ways to make it as perfect as it had looked in the mind's eye of the collective fanbase these past three-and-a-half decades, it was their skipper who put

forward the idea of asking the legendary Alan Hansen to present the medals on the day. Just 11 months removed from a serious illness that left him hospitalised, it was fitting that

before, obviously he was ill last year and I'm glad he is looking well now and I was really happy for him to get his moment in front of the Kop as he deserved it too." Having

worked closely with Mark and Joanne McVeigh of the Owen McVeigh Foundation privately for a number of years, the Dutchman was also delighted to see the Reds fans invited to bring the trophy

itself on to the pitch and to the plinth for Hansen to take over. Van Dijk has been a long-term supporter of the Foundation, helping put on events for terminally ill children alongside

meet-and-greets and various other ways of helping that the 32-year-old has always been too modest to want reporting. "Virgil's been wonderful for us," Mark McVeigh told the

ECHO last week. "As parents and as people and obviously in regards to the foundation as well. He always got it, he always understood what it is all about and he has shown with his

actions and his wife, Rike." The picture of Van Dijk and Hansen clasping a handle each of the Premier League trophy on Sunday, as the former turned his head ever so slightly to look at

the great Scot with obvious admiration, was one of the enduring images of the weekend, particularly for those who worshipped the former defender during a career that spanned over 600 games

and eight title-winning terms. Van Dijk, clearly, was one of those who knows his Liverpool history and the invitation was an immaculate way of recognising those who paved the way. The

following day, the sight of chart-topping DJ Calvin Harris on the open-top bus of the champions was also arranged by the man who wears the armband. Two years ago, it was Andy Robertson who

reached out to his compatriot to see if he would play a part in the celebrations of the then Carabao Cup and FA Cup holders. This time, to hear Harris himself tell it, it was less of a

request and more of an order from Van Dijk to add an extra layer of cool to proceedings. "This year Virgil took the reins, I guess as captain," the One Kiss hitmaker told LFCTV.

"But he was more just like: 'You’re doing the bus this year'. I was like: 'OK, all right, I'll be there." In many ways, the work to get both Hansen and Harris

involved in a famous weekend for the club and the city represents everything that makes Van Dijk who he is. As club captain, he is acutely aware of the historical significance and the

emotional ties that bind this club to its fanbase. Respectful and deferential to the traditions, but all done with an unmistakable swagger. It's a difficult combination to achieve

earnestly, but the No.4 is a unique figure. And now, as a two-time Premier League winner with a couple more years left to come as leader of this squad, Van Dijk is playing only to furnish

what is already an exceptional legacy. Perhaps, after all of that, the event-planning industry will come calling.