Who shall win the 2019 Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award?
#2 Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool)
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Virgil van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the world right now
The Dutchman continues to be among the top contenders for the award owing to his inspirational effect on Jurgen Klopp's team. The Liverpool manager was ridiculed for investing £75m on a defender in January 2018, but a year and a half later, Virgil van Dijk has found his place among one of the best signings in the history of the club.
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Van Dijk had a massive impact on Liverpool's fortunes last season, as they won the UEFA Champions League and came within touching distance of a first Premier League title, only to fall short on the final day.
The former Southampton then steered Netherlands to the inaugural UEFA Nations League final but had to settle for silver against a formidable Portugal side.
This month, he was a part of the Liverpool team that locked horns against Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield.
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City emerged winners by virtue of a penalty shootout, as van Dijk and Liverpool were undone by a ruthless City team.
There's no doubt that the Dutchman was exceptional last season, but you need something truly magical to beat the man who leads this list. And so, van Dijk is still second in the race of the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award at the start of August.
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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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