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Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk will be aiming to join an exclusive club if and when the Premier League restarts.
The Reds defender will of course be wanting to help Liverpool secure the title which they had come so close to winning before the season was halted by coronavirus.
But Van Dijk also has another milestone in sight, which has been achieved by only four players in 26 Premier League campaigns.
Gary Pallister, John Terry, Wes Morgan and Cesar Azpilicueta are the only four outfield players to have played every minute of a Premier League title-winning season.
Pallister achieved the feat as he helped Manchester United end their 26-year wait for the top-flight crown in 1992/3, the very first season of the rebranded Premier League.
(Image: PETER POWELL / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock)
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With 29 games played this season, Liverpool center-back Van Dijk has played all 2,610 minutes of league action at the heart of a defense that has granted just 21 goals.
And with Liverpool fans crossing their fingers that the Reds can resume their bid for a first title in 30 years, Pallister knows just Van Dijk will be feeling.
“To be fair, if you play every minute of every game you need a bit of luck,” said the former England center-half.
“I am sure there were lads who were better physically prepared for games than I was who had injuries and got subbed by the manager for whatever reason.
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“It’s nice to have goals, achievements and when you look back on it.
“But at the time it was all about winning the title, playing your part in doing so and being part of that team that put away 26 years of frustration.”
Since Pallister set the benchmark, only Chelsea skipper Terry (2014-15), Leicester defender Morgan (2015-16) and another Blues defender, Azpilicueta (2016-17) have repeated the feat.
That shows how special an achievement it is.
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But Pallister had to play 42 games to cement his record – so he can claim an extra 360 minutes on the other three ever-presents.
“The other lads had it easy didn’t they?” I’ve joked.
“I didn’t realize until probably a few years later that I had played every minute of every game. I knew I played every game.
“I think it came up in a quiz that it came to my attention that I played every minute of every game.
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“I am quite proud of the record. I was proud of the games I played in my career.
“I probably never took into account I was the only one to do it in a 42-game season. No wonder my body is knackered now! ”
“There was no way we were going to miss the game,” said Pallister. “That was that team. We liked to celebrate when we won things. It was something the manager promoted.
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“But I don’t think I’ve expected us to go that mad on the night before the Blackburn game.”
Pallister avoided an unwanted record that night – ensuring he was not the only outfield player to fail to score that season when he fired in a late free-kick from the edge of the area.
He said: “I was the butt of a few jokes before the game and the drink was talking when I said‘ If we get a free-kick I’ll be taking it ’.”
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