Ballon d’Or 2019: 5 reasons why Virgil Van Dijk should win the award ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

#1 About time a defender won it

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Final

It is about time, isn’t it? The last time a defender won this award, my voice hadn’t broken yet, George Bush was still the president of the United States of America, memes weren’t a thing yet…

Heck, even this website wasn’t founded at the time. So, in short, it has been a very long time since a defender got the recognition that he deserved. The last defender to win the Ballon d'Or was Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 after a superb outing at the World Cup, which helped the Italians win the tournament.

Cannavaro was the standout performer for his team in the World Cup and the same could be said for Virgil Van Dijk when it comes to Liverpool. Had Sadio Mane or Mo Salah scored close to 50 goals individually, then the scenario would have been different.

But that is not the case now – and this is the best year for a defender to win the coveted individual honor.