The Ballon d'Or could be back in familiar hands this year
#3 Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool)
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Cardiff City v Liverpool FC - Premier League
It is not fair to present one man as the main reason for Liverpool's epic turnaround in the last season and a half, but in case of Virgil van Dijk, it is a accolade that is well deserved. The Dutchman has been revolutionary for the Merseyside club since joining, but has taken his game to a higher level this season. Liverpool have used the defensive base provided by the monumental defender to attack without fear and have transformed into one of the best teams in Europe.
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van Dijk has been the rock at the back as Liverpool has stretched Manchester City to the wire in the race for the Premier League crown. Liverpool have conceded just 20 goals in the 36 games in the League and van Dijk has rightly been judged as the PFA Player of the season this year. Even though he was taken apart by the brilliance of Lionel Messi in the Champions League, van Dijk is still one of the best players in the world. And he will be central to any hopes of Liverpool finishing this season with a trophy.
The Dutchman has never been a part of the 30 man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, but his impact this season has been path-breaking. As such, Virgil van Dijk is third among the top contenders for the award at the start of May.
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About the author
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.
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