Max Verstappen, being a Dutch driver, naturally follows the Netherlands soccer team closely and its players. One club he follows closely is Liverpool, who not only have three famous Dutch players — Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, and Ryan Gravenberch — but also a Dutch manager in Arne Slot.
Although Verstappen enjoys keeping tabs on how the likes of Van Dijk, who is a close friend of his, are playing for Liverpool, he clarified that he is not a fan of The Reds. “I’m not a Liverpool fan,” replied Verstappen when asked on the Talking Bull podcast if he has ever considered visiting Anfield to watch Slot’s team play.
However, he did admit, “When there are Dutch players, manager, it’s nice to see them do well”. The 27-year-old also revealed that he may visit Anfield for a game in January, provided he finds time in his schedule, after Van Dijk personally invited him.
With Liverpool having an incredible campaign so far in Slot’s first season in charge, they are the favorites to win the Premier League after establishing a healthy seven-point lead over second-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Arsenal, who challenged Manchester City for the title in the past couple of seasons, find themselves nine points behind Liverpool already, having played the same number of games.
Manchester City’s disastrous form this season has been a blessing in disguise for Liverpool. With just one win in their last 13 games across all competitions, Pep Guardiola’s side are already a whopping 14 points behind the runaway leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.
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With Liverpool in such good form, it will mostly be a privilege for Verstappen to watch the Reds play this season. However, no matter how well they play, the Dutchman will always support his childhood favorite club PSV.
How did Verstappen begin supporting PSV?
Verstappen felt a natural connection to PSV since his childhood because his father Jos Verstappen supported the club. “That started with my father when he was sponsored by Philips,” the 27-year-old revealed in an interview with Formule1.nl at the start of this year. “At that time he was regularly invited to PSV matches. And sometimes I accompanied him”.
However, despite being a supporter of the club for so long, he does not know much about them as witnessed by his performance in the Anything But F1 Quiz earlier this year. When asked to name the club’s mascot and its number, all Verstappen could correctly reveal is that the mascot — Phoxy — is named after an animal.
And then the quiz got worse for him. When asked to reveal what special thing Phoxy did for Christmas in 2023, the Red Bull driver instantly replied, “I have no clue”. While PSV will undoubtedly appreciate Verstappen’s support, they would hope that the Red Bull driver can brush upon his knowledge of the club.
