Liverpool center-back Virgil van Dijk has insisted there will be “no losers” when the Ballon d’Or winner is announced in Paris on Monday as the Dutchman is prized to win the prestigious honor.
Van Dijk ranks among the leading contenders to take home the most coveted individual honor in European club football following his arrival at Liverpool and winning the Champions League with the Reds in his first full season at Anfield.
Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi looks most likely to claim the award, but the five-time winner faces stiff competition from the 28-year-old Van Dijk.
Along with the Champions League triumph and the 2nd placed finish in the Premier League, Van Dijk also captained the Netherlands to the Nations League final and was named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year back in August.
However, Van Dijk claimed that in the running for the Ballon d’Or there will be no losers and insisted that he is extremely proud to be in the category for the shortlist ahead of the award ceremony, “I am going to be there for a reason and there are no losers on the evening, I am very proud to be in that bracket, to be in there for the way I performed with the team last year and also with the country. It is just something to be proud of because not a lot of players go there and are up for this kind of thing.”
