Liverpool legend John Barnes says van Dijk deserves Ballon d’Or more than Messi

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Liverpool legend John Barnes has tipped current Reds defender Virgil van Dijk to win the 2019 Ballon d’Or, as per TalkSport.

Van Dijk is basking in the glow of collective success after lifting the Champions League on Saturday night, when he was imperious as Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid.

And Barnes thinks he’s on course for the world’s biggest individual honour as well, for the way he has transformed Liverpool’s backline.

When asked if van Dijk could win the prize, Barnes said: “Very possibly. Normally when you look at the Ballon d’Or winners, they’re either attacking midfield players or centre-forwards. They are goalscorers and eye-catching players.

“But there haven’t been any of those types of players who have really set the world alight this season. So from a point of consistency and from a point of success, for me Van Dijk would have to be the man.”

In the absence of a major tournament this summer, perhaps the Champions League will be the main deciding factor when it comes to selecting the winner of the Ballon d’Or.

But it’s a tough one to call at this stage, as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are more than capable of hitting red-hot form and putting together a run that can’t be ignored.

If van Dijk were to win it, it would be yet another signal of the transformative impact he’s had on Liverpool since arriving from Southampton in 2018.