AC Milan Hall of Fame member and former club captain Franco Baresi believes fellow defender Virgil van Dijk should have won the Ballon d’Or over Lionel Messi.
The Barcelona forward won the award for a record sixth time, pipping Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize.
Van Dijk’s teammate Sadio Mane finished fourth while attacking partner Mohamed Salah finished fifth, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe receiving the sixth-highest number of votes.
Van Dijk has been hugely instrumental in Liverpool’s rise under Klopp, helping them win the Champions League last season and almost the Premier League title as well.
The Dutchman joined from Southampton in a £75m deal (via Wikipedia) in 2017, and is considered by some to be the best defender in world football at present.
Messi was the favourite among many to win the award, however Baresi believes that his fellow centre-back should have been the man crowned Ballon d’Or winner for the first time.
This season the best @VirgilvDijk @LFC https://t.co/IwvV4x7Rre
— Franco Baresi (@FBaresi) December 2, 2019
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