Virgil van Dijk has been named Netherlands captain by new national team manager Ronald Koeman and will wear the armband for the first time during the friendly game against England in Amsterdam on Friday.
Koeman, who was named as Oranje boss in February, has a longstanding bond with the centre-half from their time together at Southampton and had little doubt about handing him the job.
The world's most expensive defender, who joined Liverpool for £75 million in January, will play a key role in Koeman's planned resurgence with Netherlands after they missed out on Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
"To be named captain is very special, it means a lot for me," Van Dijk said. "It's going to be a special game, my first game as captain of my country. It's definitely going to be something special and being against England is a little bit more special even.
"Everyone knows he [Koeman] gave me my chance at Southampton and I'm very grateful for what he has done for me so far in my career."
Koeman said he had no hesitation in selecting Van Dijk as his captian.
"Virgil is the first-choice captain," he said. "He is a natural leader. A player that on on and off the pitch is a big personality. I know him from Southampton, so I have a good idea of what Virgil is like."
Koeman was sacked by Everton earlier this season after a summer of expensive recruitment turned into a bad start to the Premier League campaign.
Jordan Pickford, brought in for £30m, was one of Koeman's more successful signings and will start on Friday.
"That was the reason we signed Jordan from Sunderland to Everton, because we expected that we signed the new No. 1 of the national team," Koeman said. "He's still a young goalkeeper, he needs to improve but already he's on that level that he can compete with the rest of the good goalkeepers in the Premier League."
Koeman added that he did not miss life in England.
"No, I'm really happy to be national coach of Holland," he said. "Of course I admire and respect the Premier League. I had a great time and everyone knows how that time finished at Everton.
"Looking back it was a great time, three and a half seasons to be part of the Premier League but it's a different project now with the national team."