Virgil van Dijk conceded he had to respect greatness after losing out on the 2019 Ballon d Or to Lionel Messi.
Barcelona and Argentina forward Messi won the prize for a record sixth time having scored 41 times in 44 club appearances for Barcelona, with whom he won a 10th LaLiga title last season.
Success in the Champions League eluded him, though, as Van Dijk helped Liverpool oust Barcelona in the semi-finals en route to a sixth triumph in Europe s most premier club competition.
Van Dijk s performances for the Reds in that competition and with Nations League finalists Netherlands ensured he finished second in the voting for the Ballon d Or, though he had no qualms about being pipped to the prize by Messi.
It was amazing, Van Dijk said of his 2019.
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