A meagre 7 votes was the difference between Lionel Messi and the Dutch international in the previous Ballon d’Or award, as the Barcelona star won for a record 6th time in Paris earlier this month.

Virgil van Dijk has admitted that he was disappointed to finish second to Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or voting.

Messi has recorded a total of six Balllon d’Or awards of which is closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo has five.

Van Dijk’s contribution to the success of his team last season is inexcusable, propelling them to the Champions league finals and just a point away from clenching the 2018-2019 domestic league title.

For his immense contribution he was named PFA Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season.

But that wasn’t enough to make him take home the Ballon d’Or, an award the 28-year-old admits he was hoping to win.

“I was slightly disappointed,” Van Dijk said in quotes published in the Mirror. “I decided I would still go to the ceremony – and, in the end, it was a super night.

“I still consider it a great achievement to be up there with the ­biggest football icons in the world.”

Messi inspite of his limited communication in English was able to have a little chat with the Liverpool star.

“I spoke to Messi during the ­evening. It was not the longest ­conversation because he doesn’t speak a lot of English.

“But it was still enough to make me realise that the respect between us now also runs the other way.”

Van Dijk also credenced that the success of the club is due to the close-knit feeling, saying that stars of the club past and present all coexist happily on Merseyside.

“This Liverpool bunch is ­phenomenally close together,” Van Dijk said. “In my opinion, Liverpool are one big ­family – and that is why this club suits me so much.

“James Milner says the same thing – and he has played at big clubs like Man City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa.

“That’s why this club is great for me. The people are all ­humble. The legends of the great days – such as Kenny ­Dalglish and Ian Rush – travel with us during ­European weeks.

“Dalglish even sends me texts on my phone and we will have a chat at times.

“When I go to see my family after a match, I go by the boardroom and it is always full of former top players.”

Source>>
https://lastpundits.com/2019/12/22/van-dijk-speaks-of-how-he-felt-after-loosing-ballon-dor-to-messi/

Eyaah

I can't believe that a defender lays better than LEO MESSI!!!!!!!!


It is impossible!!!!!!


No one plays better than Messi let alone a defender.

The this awards are been given is not fair to defenders and goalkeepers. Defenders and goalkeepers are judge by the number of clean sheets they keep while strikers are judge by the numbers of goals they score. Messi no doubt is good, but considering him with vvd for the award with the same criteria is wrong .