Spain and Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos have backed fellow center-back Virgil Van Dijk to win the Ballon d’Or ahead of usual suspects Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo this season.
Ever since 2006, no defender has managed to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or as Italian Fabio Cannavaro was the last center-back to lift the honor. However, there is a new name on the block which is threatening Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo this season in the form of Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk.
The 28-year-old has transformed the Liverpool defense into one of the meanest back lines in the world of football and Van Dijk managed to win the PFA Player of the Year award as well as the UEFA Player of the Year by aiding Liverpool to the Champions League title.
Earlier this week, the FIFA 20 game ratings were out and the Dutchman came out on top as the highest-ranked defender beating Sergio Ramos. However, the 32-year-old Ramos has expressed his delight at Van Dijk competing for the honor against Messi and Ronaldo stating that a defender of his caliber should win the award.
Ramos explained that Van Dijk is a worthy contender and deserves the Ballon d’Or, “It’s tough to assess the criteria for individual awards. Van Dijk is a wonderful center-back and he deserves to be there. Most of the talk is about forwards so the idea a player in a different position could win it is something positive. Ultimately, football is a collective sport and it’s not easy to assess an individual award because you don’t know the criteria.”
