Virgil van Dijk wins Uefa Men’s Player of the Year Award after beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Liverpool defender honoured after leading side to Champions League glory as Ronaldo and Messi missed out on adding another individual gong to their collections
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was named Uefa Men’s Player of the Year, beating off both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the award for the first time following last season’s Champions League success.
Van Dijk found himself up against Messi and Ronaldo on the three-man shortlist for the Men’s Player of the Year, who together have the award five times in the eight years since its inception in 2011.
But Van Dijk was unsurprisingly recognised for Liverpool’s Champions League glory, with the centre-back playing a pivotal role in converting Jurgen Klopp’s side from runners-up in 2018 to European champions in 2019.
Ronaldo saw his quest to win a sixth Champions League squashed by Ajax last season, but his campaign hardly went badly as Juventus wrapped up an eighth consecutive Serie A title to give the 34-year-old his first Italian league title, while Portugal beat Van Dijk’s Netherlands side to Nations League glory in June.
Messi meanwhile ended the season with tenth career La Liga title, while Barcelona reached the Champions League semi-finals only to come unstuck against eventual winners Liverpool.
Van Dijk also claimed the Champions League Defender of the Season award, while his Liverpool teammate Alisson Becker claimed the Goalkeeper of the Season for his performances in the Champions League.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong took home the Midfielder of the Season award after inspiring Ajax to the semi-finals last season before his summer move to Spain, while his new teammate at the Nou Camp in Messi claimed the Forward of the Season award.
More follows…
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments