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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said that narrowly losing the 2019 Ballon d'Or race to Lionel Messi wasn't a shame.
Van Dijk, 32, has been a key player for the Reds since arriving in January 2018. In 243 appearances across competitions, he has contributed 20 goals and 14 assists. The centre-back played a key role in the Reds' UEFA Champions League triumph in 2019.
In a close Ballon d'Or race that year, the Dutchman came close to emulating Fabio Cannavaro as the only defenders to win the prestigious award since the turn of the century. But he fell short by seven votes to Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, most recently last year.
In an exclusive interview with France Football (via Get Football), Van Dijk said that there are worse things that can happen than losing the Ballon d'Or to an all-time great player like Messi:
I found myself between two of the five greatest players of all time. To stand there as a defender was already a great source of pride. If I deserved it, I would have won it.
"Everything happens for a reason, and, frankly, losing to Lionel Messi is not the worst of things. I would have loved to win it, but to get this recognition from the rest of the world is still a great source of pride.”
Van Dijk's Reds are alive in four competitions this season and lead the Premier League after 20 games.
Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or title in 2023 to pull further clear of the rest
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game. At 36, he's still going strong for club and country, having scored over 800 goals.
In December 2022, Messi delivered Argentina their third FIFA World Cup title, first in 36 years, by bagging seven goals and three assists in seven games. He scored in all four knockout games, including a brace in the 3-3 (4-2) shootout win over defending champions France in the final.
Largely due to that triumph, Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or award in 2023. The next most successful player in the list is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five.
