UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2019: Analysing the top three nominees ahead of the ceremony

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool and Netherlands)

Liverpool v SSC Napoli - Pre-Season Friendly

Virgil van Dijk has been tipped to win a series of individual prizes for months following his legendary performances at the heart of the Liverpool defence in the last year.

The Netherlands international made 59 appearances for club and country last term, during which he netted nine goals and provided four assists.

The 28-year-old centre-back played an integral role in the evolution of the Liverpool defence into one of the strongest in Europe. In the previous season, the Reds conceded the fewest goals (22) than any other Premier League team, a record that could largely be credited to the former Southampton man.

Van Dijk boasts of having the highest successful duel percentage in Europe (76.3%) and has won over 70% of all aerial battles and duels for Liverpool.

The Dutchman's impenetrable qualities also led to a much talked about statistic claiming he was not dribbled past in any competitive game in the last season.

Internationally, the Liverpool star's statistics are just as impressive with a duel success rate of 73.4%. However, his defensive efforts could not get the Netherlands past Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final, leaving him short of an international title.

A defender has never been named UEFA Men's Player of the Year but van Dijk could well be on his way to change that this year.