Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk on his 2019 Ballon d’Or’s second place: “Losing to Lionel Messi is not the worst of things.”

Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk (32) recently sat down with France Football for an exclusive tell-all interview. The Dutchman has notably named his toughest opponent in Olivier Giroud and also revealed what he truly felt about his second-place finish in the 2019 Ballon d’Or, losing to then-Barcelona playmaker and Argentina great Lionel Messi by only seven points.

In 2019, Van Dijk was notably named man of the match of the Champions League final that Liverpool won 2-0 in Madrid against Tottenham. He also led The Netherlands to the 2019 Nations League final. The Dutchman was very close to being the first defender to be given the Ballon d’Or since 2006 winner Fabio Cannavaro. “A second place is already very special. Very few players have been close to winning it or have scored as many points (679) in the Ballon d’Or standings“, Van Dijk said.

‘If I deserved it, I would have won it’

The Liverpool stalwart also revealed this second-place gave him a lot of confidence and acted as a boost for him to receive another Ballon d’Or nomination. When asked if he thought he deserved to win it, Van Dijk remained modest. “I found myself between two of the five greatest players of all time (Christiano Ronaldo was third). To stand there as a defender was already a great source of pride. If I deserved it, I would have won it. Everything happens for a reason and, frankly, losing to Lionel Messi is not the worst of things”, Van Dijk added. “I would have loved to win it, but to get this recognition from the rest of the world is still a great source of pride.”

With Liverpool still gunning for four trophies and The Netherlands qualified for the Euro 2024, Virgil van Dijk won’t lack opportunities this year to get his name engraved at the foot of the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval