Liverpool News: Virgil van Dijk set to be honored by his first club after being named UEFA Player of the Year

What's the story?

Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk is set to be honored by his former club in the Netherlands after he beat the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the UEFA Player of the Year award in Monaco on Thursday.

In case you didn't know...

Van Dijk was recently named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year in recognition of his solid performances for Liverpool and Netherlands last season.

The 28-year-old was a commanding presence at the heart of the Reds back line throughout last season as Liverpool finished as the league's most stubborn defense.

The Netherlands international was also named PFA Player of the Year as he helped the Merseyside outfit maintain one of the closest races for the Premier League title in recent history. Jurgen Klopp's men collected an impressive 97 points but were edged out by Manchester City by a single point margin.

Van Dijk was equally influential in the Champions League, as he not only kept crucial clean sheets but also registered two goals and as many assists to help the Reds to their sixth European title.

Internationally, the Dutchman guided his national team to the UEFA Nations League final, where they lost out to Portugal.

The heart of the matter

an Dijk's first club, WDS’19, is now set to honor him with a new banner after he was named UEFA Player of the Year.

Rik Kleijn, the coach who first worked with the Dutchman at the club, said (via Mirror Football), "Virgil's election as Europe’s best player, above Messi and Ronaldo, is unbelievable. We have never known anything like it at this club. We all think he deserves it so much."

"We have a banner close to the pitch that states 'this is where the most expensive player in the world started.' Now we have to change that banner to say 'the best player in Europe.'"

"Virgil was a defender but even at a very young age he also had an incredible scoring power. But I never expected him to be crowned as the best player in Europe, which has happened now."

What's next?

Liverpool will return to action after the international break when they face Newcastle United on September 14.