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#1 International competitions
Ultimately, it was his otherworldly performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup that won Cannavaro the 2006 Ballon d'Or. Captaining an heavyweight Italian side, Cannavaro led an impregnable defensive unit, ably supported by Marco Metarazzi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Grosso, Alessandro Nesta and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon that showed the world how attacks win you games, but defences win you championships. Cannavaro was majestic in the final, keeping the likes of Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery and Zinedine Zidane quiet as Italy beat France on penalties to lift their 4th World Cup title. The Italian defender was recognised as the world's most elite centre-back at that time, triggering a big-money move to Real Madrid and also resulting in the Italian winning the 2006 Ballon d'Or as well as the FIFA Player of the Year title.
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Van Dijk has captained a rejuvenated Netherlands side into the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, where they are set to face England on June 7th. After the disappointment of missing out on qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Oranje have undergone a massive makeover under new manager Ronald Koeman. They have demolished all teams in their path to book a place in the final 4 of the inaugural UEFA Nations League. Under Van Dijk's leadership and with a host of new youngsters like Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong introduced to the side, the Dutchmen beat World Champions France 2-0 and European heavyweights Germany 3-0 to reach the semis.
If Van Dijk can replicate the level of performances he has shown at club level for the Oranje and lead them to the UEFA Nations League title, then the footballing world will have no choice but to applaud the Dutchman for an impeccable season and award him the Ballon d'Or. Ultimately, Van Dijk has shown greater consistency on the European and club than Cannavaro did in 2005-06. But the Liverpool man needs a noteworthy international title to seal the deal and become the first defender to lift the Ballon d'Or since 2006, especially since he faces a strong challenge from a certain Mr. Lionel Messi.
