Ballon d'Or 2019: Ranking the top 5 favorites - September 2019

#1 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool/Netherlands)

Van Dijk became the first defender to be named UEFA Best Men's Player of the Year

Though Liverpool paid a then world-record fee of £75m to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, it was money well spent, as the Dutchman has helped transform their defense from leaky and shaky into compact and assured.

Two seasons ago, it would have been ridiculous and downright laughable to suggest that Liverpool would boast the best defensive record in the league, but that was exactly what happened last season and Virgil Van Dijk had a huge role to play in that.

The towering centre-back posted truly remarkable stats last season, finishing as the player with the second-most passes (3,037) behind only Jorginho, while he also attempted 38 tackles with a 74% success rate.

He won 244 of the 322 duels he competed, while also making 199 clearances and also showed his usefulness in the attacking third with four goals and two assists to help Liverpool to a second-place finish in the league.

For his efforts, he was named the PFA Player of the Year, while he also captained the Netherlands to the final of the Nations League and helped Jurgen Klopp's men to the Champions League trophy.

Van Dijk was unsurprisingly voted as the best defender in the Champions League last season, while he also became the first defender to be named UEFA Men's Player of the Year and is firmly in position to become only the fourth defender in history to win the Ballon d'Or.