Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp believes Virgil van Dijk deserves Ballon d'Or trophy more than Barcelona's Lionel Messi. 2019 Ballon d'Or trophy ceremony will be held on 2 December 2019.
Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk was one of Liverpool's standout players as he helped the club in winning their sixth Champions League trophy. He was arguably the best defender in 2019. Liverpool also finished just one point behind Manchester City and had to settle for the second spot in 2018-19 Premier League season.
Virgil van Dijk and Lionel Messi are leading the race for 2019 Ballon d'Or. Jurgen Klopp said Virgil van Dijk was instrumental for both club and country. He also mentioned that if there was a trophy for the best player of this generation, Barcelona's star Lionel Messi would win it hands down.
Klopp hails Messi as the best player of his generation
Liverpool's coach Jurgen Klopp said: "If you give the Ballon d'Or to the best player of this generation, then you can give it always to Lionel Messi, that's how it is. But if you give it to the best player of last season, then it was Virgil van Dijk. So I don't know exactly how it will work, but that's how I see it. If it's for the best player of all, then it's Lionel. The best player of last season, it's Virgil. We will see."
Real Madrid's midfielder Luka Modric won Ballon d'Or trophy last year. Liverpool's defender Virgil van Dijk also helped Holland to qualify for Euro 2020 while Lionel Messi finished third at the Copa America with Argentina.
The 30 candidates for the Ballon d'Or:
Liverpool: Virgil Van Dijk, Roberto Firmino, Alisson, Gini Wijnaldum, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah
Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling
Barcelona: Leo Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Marc-André Ter Stegen and Frenkie De Jong
Real Madrid: Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard
Tottenham: Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris
Ajax: Donny Van de Beek and Dusan Tadic
Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo and Matthijs De Ligt
PSG: Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos
Atletico Madrid: Joao Felix
Napoli: Kalidou Koulibaly
Bayern Munich: Robert Lewandowski
Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
