Liverpool news: Virgil van Dijk deserves to win 2019 Ballon d’Or ahead of Lionel Messi, says Jurgen Klopp

The centre-back was a cornerstone of the Champions League-winning side

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk (Getty Images)

Jurgen Klopp believes Virgil van Dijk has been the best player in the world this year and claimed the Dutchman should win the Ballon d’Or ahead of Lionel Messi.

The Dutch centre-back was a huge presence for the Reds as they launched a Premier League title bid last season and won the Champions League.

Liverpool‘s No 4 has been an ever-present in the league this term, too, not missing a single minute as the Reds have won 12 out of 13 games to establish an eight-point lead at the top.

His consistency, big-game performances and leadership make him irreplaceable for the Reds, and his manager says he should be acknowledged as the best in the world this year as a result.

However, Klopp did fully acknowledge Messi as the world’s best over a longer period of time.

“If you give the Ballon d’Or to the best player of this generation then you should give it always to Lionel Messi. That’s how it is,” he said. “But if you give it to the best player of last season, then it was Virgil van Dijk. I don’t know exactly how it will work but that is how I see it.

“The best player of all? That’s Lionel. Best player of last season? That’s Virgil. We will see.”

Van Dijk was again at the heart of the team at the weekend as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-1.

Despite conceding an equaliser with ten minutes to play, Klopp’s side still found a way to take the three points and keep the gap at the top intact – but the manager says he’s not concerned by points tallies and that Leicester are as much of a threat as Man City.

Klopp was delighted with another late win (EPA)

“We don’t really worry about it. It’s only eight points to Leicester, we cannot forget about them. They were champions, three or four years ago. Chelsea also played an incredible season (so far).

“If we lost the last game we played under Crystal Palace, then we suddenly would have been just five points ahead and people would talk about different things.

“The main thing is that we stay relaxed about that. We don’t think about the points, we don’t think about the gap, we think about the next game. Hopefully we can stay that way.”

Liverpool now play three home games in succession, with Napoli and Brighton visiting Anfield before the Merseyside derby against Everton on 4 December.