Why be negative when you can enjoy life and be positive? That's something I learned over the years.
— Virgil van Dijk
I am very hard on myself. I know the slightest loss of concentration, the slightest mistake will be punished. I try to limit it as much as possible.
I think it is a very important thing in football to keep each other awake and alert.
I'm a big fan of 'Prison Break' - I've watched it eight times.
At Liverpool, we are all part of one unit, not just the 11 on the pitch.
The Champions League is unbelievably big. The whole show before, the fans, the players you play against, the people who are going to watch the game, the pressure - it's very special.
I was always playing on the streets with my friends until I was 15 or 16 and I wanted to do things with my skills that were exciting.
I don't really care, if somebody boos me or boos the team, we're trying to win the game.
You need to be aware of the qualities of every striker you face, as I always am, but sometimes you need to be smart and more than 100% ready for anything.
It's the media who love statistics.
When I went to FC Groningen, I had to take my bike to training - my first wage went on driving lessons. Before I signed my contract, I was 15 or 16 and working as a dishwasher in a Breda restaurant.
You have pundits and fans from other teams who will say loads of things and it goes past me. That's life.
If I watch big games like the Champions League on TV then I'm definitely watching what different centre-backs are doing in certain situations.
It's always a great feeling to help Holland as well as Liverpool but we all do it together.
We want to play on the highest level and the Champions League, other than the Premier League for us, is the highest level.
Obviously, I'm honoured to be mentioned as a candidate to win the Ballon d'Or, but the only way I can influence it is to just focus on playing well.
When you're 2-0 down after 30 minutes, then you know it's going to be tough.
I have improved since I joined Liverpool.
I love to have the pressure of having to win every game, love the pressure of keeping clean sheets every game, no matter if we're 5-0 or 6-0 up.
My role is the same with or without the armband.
I'm a big TV show guy.
To play with pressure is always a good thing. I like to play with pressure.
I was very proud to win the PFA trophy because usually an attacker or a midfielder wins it.
Scoring goals looks nicer and much more attractive than a last-ditch tackle for younger people.
I'd rather play with pressure than without.
I think Messi is the best player in the world.
The bigger you get as a player, the bigger the spotlight.
I was never a standout player until I played for the under-19s and became the captain. Then everything went much better - I played some games for the under-23s and after that it went pretty quickly.
I think as a central defender you grow as a player.
There are plenty of good central defenders around and I enjoy watching them.
I want to enjoy the games because not a lot of people have the chance to do what we do. That's how we started football as well, enjoying what we are doing and that's what I try to do as well.
I love playing for Liverpool, I am proud to wear the shirt.
We can do what we love to do and also to play for Liverpool - they are such a big club. You need to enjoy it but the pressure will always be there.
The season is very long.
I have always been very critical of myself and I like the people around me to be critical too.
I need to be coming off the pitch every game with my voice gone, and that's something I can bring. I am just someone who likes to organise, make sure everything is well organised, because that makes it a lot easier for yourself too.
I remember starting 'Game of Thrones,' everyone said 'you have to watch it,' but I thought 'it's science fiction, it's not real, it's nothing.' I gave it a go and then couldn't stop watching it.
Life is too short to be negative.
To be in the Champions League final is something you need to experience. To win it would obviously be the best experience ever. To be there, the build-up - with the media even, the stadium, travelling, our fans - it's something very special.
As a defender I try to keep clean sheets.
All the players in the league, I think, want to play for trophies, want to get trophies.
There's always pressure at a big club.
I think Aguero is one of the best strikers in the League. And he's been doing it for many years.
I've known my best friend since I was 12 or 13.
At 16, I was a slow right-back and wasn't good enough to play centre-back.
Football is a game. It's something I love to do. But there are so many things in life that are more important.
Obviously there are a lot of expectations when you come to a club for a record fee but you can't change that. You just need to perform and show it on the pitch and gain respect through that.
We just need to keep improving. Keep doing what we are doing and get better. That's the only way forward.
The only thing I want to do is keep working and keep giving everything I can in every game.
Personally, I like to put things in perspective.
