Former Holland player, Ruud Gullit, has warned Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk that he would never win the Ballon d’Or award.
Van Dijk narrowly lost out to Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi in 2019, finishing behind the Argentine attacker in second place.
The Liverpool star was considered one of the favourites to win it, after helping the Premier League club win the Champions League and finish second in the League.
However, the Dutchman had to settle only for the runner-up spot as Lionel Messi claimed the prize for a record sixth time.
Although the 28-year-old is enjoying yet another outstanding season, which is expected to see Jurgen Klopp’s team win a first league title in 30 years, Gullit doesn’t think van Dijk will have a better chance to take home the Golden Ball.
“The message of the Ballon d’Or was, he’s never going to win it again,” he told JOE.
Asked if he thought the defender deserved to beat Messi to the Ballon d’Or award, Gullit continued: “Yeah, I think he should. But, you know, you can’t say Messi didn’t deserve it either.
“But if there was a possibility to make a stand for a defender, it was this year.”
Van Dijk would have been the first defender to win the Ballon d’Or since 2006, when Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro won it.
