Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has received backing to win the Balon d’Or from an unlikely source: Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.
There are few rival players that Liverpool fans have taken a dislike to in recent years more than Sergio Ramos. But he is surprising the cynics by backing Virgil van Dijk to take home the Balon d’Or this year.
The prestigious award had been locked down by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who won it five times a piece for a decade between 2008-2017.
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Last year Luka Modric broke that streak as he was rewarded for his Champions League performances. There is hope among Kopites that van Dijk will be rewarded in a similar way but a defender has only one the award once in the last 20 years.
However Sergio Ramos doesn’t feel that is an issue:
“If Cannavaro won it then why not? We always talk about Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi but the possibility that another player can win it is a beautiful thing.”
Interesting that Ramos leans more towards giving it to a player in his position rather than his ex-teammate Ronaldo, especially to a player from a team with a fanbase that is hostile to him.
Ramos became a figure of derision at Anfield after his cynical tactics to injure Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final.
Sergio Ramos on Virgil van Dijk winning the Ballon d'Or: "If Cannavaro won it then why not? We always talk about Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi but the possibility that another player can win it is a beautiful thing." pic.twitter.com/pj05i51ItD
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) September 11, 2019
The last Liverpool player to win the award was Michael Owen in 2001 after Liverpool won the cup treble under Gerard Houllier. Two players have come third in the voting since then; Steven Gerrard in 2005 after Istanbul and Fernando Torres in 2008.
Van Dijk is the bookies favorite for the award which is handed out in December and voted for by journalists plus coaches and captains of national teams.