Ballon d'Or 2019: Virgil van Dijk believes 'the time has come' for a defender to win the prestigious award

What's the story?

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk believes that the time has come for a defender to lift the coveted Ballon d'Or award, as speculation regarding the possibility of his win this year continues to build up.

In case you didn't know

Van Dijk was an influential figure in Liverpool's scintillating Premier League run and their journey to European glory as the defender displayed rock-solid performances at the centre of the Reds defence throughout the 2018-19 season.

The centre-back was named the PFA Player of the Year in recognition of his exploits and earned himself a place in the PFA Team of the Year as well as the Champions League Team of the Season.

The Netherlands international has been heavily tipped to win the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year, an award that has been dominated by record winners, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in the last decade.

Should Van Dijk win football's most prestigious honour, he would become the first defender to do so since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.

The heart of the matter

Van Dijk has opened up about his chances to win the Ballon d'Or in his latest interview with the official Liverpool website and insists that he would still trade any individual prize for a team honour if the need arises.

The Dutchman said, "To get the PFA Player of the Year is a fantastic honour...it’s the highest honour you can get because it’s voted by your fellow peers."

"I said it back then as well, I would trade it for the Champions League. Luckily, I didn’t have to."

"It’s an honour if people are talking about [the Ballon d’Or], but what can I do? I have no influence on anything."

"I can’t deny I had a pretty good season last year, so the only thing I can do now is just focus on the new season, getting fit, stay fit and hopefully get an even better season than I had last year."

"I can understand the fact that normally strikers or No. 10’s win these awards because it’s more attractive to see. But maybe the time has come to change it."

What's next?

After losing their pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, Liverpool will next face Sevilla in another friendly later today.