Virgil van Dijk can't help but laugh as he ridicules his best friend in Liverpool training
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez may be close friends but that didn't stop the Dutchman from ridiculing his fellow defender during a tricky training exercise. Van Dijk and Gomez once forged a formidable partnership in the heart of Liverpool's defence as the Reds won the title under Jurgen Klopp in 2020.
Injuries, and the arrival of Ibrahima Konate in 2021, have somewhat blighted Gomez's progress over the last few seasons. However Gomez, who has been linked with an exit as Liverpool continue to seek defensive reinforcements, is now Liverpool's longest serving player, having joined in 2015, as well as a senior and trusted member of the squad.
Yet that didn't prevent his captain from mercilessly trolling him during an activity where, in partners, one holds and drops a stick while the other is forced to catch it in mid air.
In the video released by Liverpool this week, Gomez is seen struggling to grab the stick forcing Van Dijk to mock his friend, who ultimately informs him that: "This is on camera by the way".
An exasperated-looking Gomez eventually catches the stick, and then tries to catch out the Liverpool captain with the same trick. However, a consummate professional as ever, Van Dijk catches the baton every time, denying Gomez the chance to reciprocate the savage ribbing he had just received.
The clip is further evidence of just how close the Liverpool duo are. In 2024, Van Dijk went on record to explain his friendship with the England star.
"I think the closest I am at the moment is Joe Gomez," he said. "We've been through everything together here at the club, highs and lows and you know we are very close to each other."
Gomez has also spoken on Van Dijk's influence since the Dutch star took the captain's armband in the summer of 2023.
"I'm incredibly happy for him," Gomez told The Anfield Wrap in 2024. "I can't put it into words. I know what it means for him, and I really get to see the inside and how things sometimes are tough.
"The little things that people might not see in a training ground when you need to make decisions or enforce moments when it's like, 'Lads, we need to be better at this' or it might be timekeeping, it might be different things that you don't want to slip out of place.
"Virg has done it in his own way, and it's made him even more appreciated amongst us as a team. His ability speaks for itself; he's the best at what he does, he's the best in the world and probably the best the club has ever had in that position."
Gomez almost left the club last summer. He was left out of Arne Slot's squad at the start of the season amid the uncertainty about his future and had to wait until the end of September to make his first Premier League appearance of the campaign.
The 28-year-old started 11 of his 17 appearances, with nine in the league. However, bad luck hit Gomez again as a hamstring injury ruled him out for the majority of the second half of the Reds' Premier League winning campaign.
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