Comparing the Celtic legacy of Virgil van Dijk and Gary Hooper

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Virgil van Dijk and Gary Hooper never played together at Celtic but did play important roles at the club.

Van Dijk joined one month before Hooper signed for Norwich City in July 2013. Had they both been together, the spine of the Celtic team would have been a force to be reckoned with against anyone.

But who made the bigger impact in their time and which player’s absence was felt more when the Hoops were unable to call upon them?

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Celtic dropped more points when Gary Hooper didn’t play vs Virgil van Dijk

Of course, our two stars played in different positions, therefore they contributed in different ways.

Hooper scored 82 goals in 138 games while Van Dijk managed a respectable 15 from 115 games, as well as winning the PFA Player of the Year twice.

But when the forward didn’t play, Celtic won 59 per cent of the time, whereas without Van Dijk, the Bhoys won 64 per cent of the time.

Despite being fine margins, it shows that we may even underplay just how good Hooper was in the green and white.

What have Virgil van Dijk and Gary Hooper said about Celtic?

Since leaving Celtic, both players have gone down very different paths.

While Van Dijk went from strength to strength to become a two-time Premier League winner, Hooper will admit that he failed to hit the same heights.

Despite taking different paths, they both have the same affection for the Bhoys.

Nobody comes close to Virgil van Dijk in the 21st century…

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Van Dijk told The Overlap in 2023: “People still underestimate how big Celtic are… What a club it is. European nights, the fans, the club, the way of living as a Celtic player and a Celtic fan. It’s just incredible.”

Meanwhile, when Hooper signed in 2010, he told UEFA: “Celtic is a massive club and when I knew they were interested they were the only club I wanted to come to.”