Van Dijk should win Ballon d'Or, says Klopp
Klopp insisted on the fact that Messi was the best player of this generation but added that if the acclaimed award had to be won by a player for their last season’s performance, it had to be Van Dijk.
Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp has said that Liverpool centre back Virgil Van Dijk should receive the Ballon d'Or award instead of Barcelona star Lionel Messi if it is given on the basis of last year's performance.
Klopp insisted on the fact that Messi was the best player of this generation but added that if the acclaimed award had to be won by a player for their last season's performance, it had to be Van Dijk.
He said, "If you give the Ballon d'Or to the best player of this generation then you should 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. I don't know exactly how it will work but that is how I see it."
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He said that the Messi was the best player among everyone, but it was Van Dijk who stood out in the last season where Liverpool clinched the UEFA Champions League.
Messi had won FIFA's 'The Best' award ahead of Van Dijk in September, but it was the dutch defender who had been adjudged as UEFA's best player in last season's Champions League earlier in the year.
The Ballon d'Or winner will be announced on December 2 at Paris. Lionel Messi has already won this award five times, whereas Van Dijk waits for his first.
