Being Liverpool captain carries great prestige as well as having scarcity value.
Virgil van Dijk is only the third player in 20 years to have the armband, following Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson and he takes over at a critical time in the club’s history as Jurgen Klopp strives to build his second great team at Anfield.
The surprising departure of Henderson to Saudi Arabia over the summer has thrust 32-year-old Van Dijk into his new role, inheriting a squad that failed to qualify for the Champions League last season when his own personal form was also questioned.