Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hailed Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi as “probably the best player I have seen in my life” but also claimed that Virgil van Dijk should have been awarded the Ballon d’Or at Paris on Monday night.
La Blaugrana captain Messi won the prestigious honor for a record sixth time on Monday, as organizers France Football declared his seven-point margin over Liverpool defender Van Dijk to be one of the narrowest in the award’s 63-year history.
The 32-year-old Messi finished top of the count with 686 votes, just ahead of Van Dijk’s 679 and pipped the Dutchman to the Ballon d’Or.
While admitting Messi is the greatest player of his generation, thee 52-year-old Klopp felt that Van Dijk should have been rewarded with the prize for his stellar contribution to Liverpool’s Champions League win last season as well as reaching the final of the UEFA Nations League with the Netherlands.
While speaking to journalists following the award ceremony in Paris, the German manager did not feel like Messi deserved the award and explained his reasons as to why the 28-year-old defender deserved to win the accolade, “The decisions are made by journalists, right? I see it slightly different. Lionel Messi is probably the best player I have seen in my life, but last season I cannot remember a more impressive season by a defender ever. It would have been right if Virgil had won as well. We won the Champions League and he had an outstanding season.”
Van Dijk will now line up for Liverpool in the starting eleven to face Everton in the crunch Merseyside derby on Wednesday and will hope to keep up the Reds’ incredible start to the new season.
