Disappointed to not win Ballon d’Or, admits Virgil Van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has finally opened up on losing the Ballon d’Or by seven votes to Lionel Messi with the Liverpool star admitting that he was disappointed. The former Celtic star had an incredible season with the Reds as won the Champions League and gave Manchester City a fight for the league title.
The 28-year-old had a fantastic season with the Reds and walked away as arguably the second-best player in the world ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and even Cristiano Ronaldo. However, with the brilliant Lionel Messi winning the coveted individual trophy with just seven more votes than the Dutch defender, many felt that the vote was biased despite the season that both men had for their respective clubs.
Yet in an interview, Van Dijk went on to admit that while he was slightly disappointed that he did not win the trophy, he walked away from the ceremony with mutual respect for the Argentine after a small chat with Lionel Messi. The 28-year-old also added that he travelled to Paris despite already knowing that he would finish behind Barcelona’s supreme superstar.
“I was slightly disappointed. 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. 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,” said the defender reported the Mirror.
The Dutch defender arrived in the winter of 2018 and has since gone on to become a bargain for the Reds with him repaying his former world record transfer fee ten fold. But Van Dijk went on to admit that a large part of his performances was down to the fact that he adapted and adjusted so quickly to Liverpool with that all thanks to the team. The 28-year-old also added that everybody supported everybody with even Kenny Dalglish making sure that he, Van Dijk, was comfortable.
“At almost every club, you find that there are lots of different little groups in a squad. But this Liverpool bunch is phenomenally close together. 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,” he added.