Liverpool players are right among the favourites to take home the Ballon d’Or award in 2019 following the Champions League victory against Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday night.
On the biggest stage possible, the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah stood up and were counted. The trophy was a fitting reward for an incredible season.
🌟 Latest Ballon d'Or 2019 odds:
Lionel Messi – 4/5
Virgil van Dijk – 5/4
Mo Salah – 16/1
Cristiano Ronaldo – 20/1
Raheem Sterling – 20/1Full market 👉 https://t.co/0gyNy0gkEf pic.twitter.com/ilRwRplAOQ
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) June 3, 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo believes that Van Dijk should win the award, according to Fox Sports, although he would have anyone win it ahead of Lionel Messi! The Portuguese is level with Raheem Sterling according to William Hill following his debut season for Juventus.
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Van Dijk, though, believes Messi should win the award.
Via Marca, he said post-match on Saturday: “I think Messi is the best player in the world. He should win the Ballon d’Or. He’s the best in the world.”
A defender has not won the award too often down the years, with Fabio Cannavaro the last one to do so back in 2006, the same year his Italy team won the World Cup.
We certainly think Van Dijk’s got to be right up there this year. No one has completed a dribble past him in any of his last 64 appearances for the club, including Messi himself on two occasions in that period.
Trophies like the Champions League are, of course, the priority for the Reds, but it shows how far we have come that so many players are in contention.