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The Ballon d'Or is almost upon us, with the three finalists being Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Virgil van Dijk.
Whilst many feel Ronaldo won't win due to his poor return statistically when compared to Messi, many feel that it could actually be van Dijk who ultimately wins the prize.
After Luka Modric's win last year, many have felt it has opened the floodgates for other players to properly challenge Messi and Ronaldo for the top prizes in a way that hasn't occurred since 2007.
And given that the defender won the UEFA Player of the Year ahead of the two GOATS, the odds of him winning the Ballon d'Or have improved drastically.
Let's look at three reasons as to why Liverpool's van Dijk will win the 2019 edition of the Ballon d'Or.
#3 He's a defender
Whilst this isn't to dispute Messi and Ronaldo's past victories, one of most common protests against their victories is the unfair comparison between different positions.
For example, one shouldn't expect a midfielder, or a defender for that matter, to score 50 goals a season like Messi and Ronaldo have consistently done. Many felt this when Messi won the 2010 Ballon d'Or despite Wesley Sneijder winning the treble and reaching the World Cup final.
By last year's result there seems to be attempts to rectify this issue, with Modric winning the prize despite producing much, much weaker statistics.
Furthermore, the same rule should, and will, apply for Virgil van Dijk in this years decision process, which can only be seen as both fair and wise.
Although he didn't score or assist as many goals as Ronaldo or Messi, he did prevent countless goals from being scored against him, which is of equal value to a team's success.
Also check out:Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
#2 Winning the Champions League
At least since the 2013/14 campaign, winning the Champions League was the factor which ultimately decided the Ballon d'Or winner.
Even in seasons where Ronaldo was statistically better than Messi, and vice versa, if one of them had won the Champions League they would be more likely to win. (2014/15 season, and 2016/17 season are two examples of this)
Whilst one could point out that both Ronaldo and Modric won the Champions League in 2018 to counter this point, it must be remembered that it was Modric's success in the World Cup which ultimately decided the winner.
Given that the only major international competition this year was the Copa America, and that Messi played poorly throughout, it will have little, if any positive impact on the Argentine's chances of winning the Golden Ball.
Therefore, given that Virgil van Dijk lead Liverpool to the Champions League, and only narrowly missed out on the league title, it appears that odds are stacked in his favour in this regard.
#1 Breaking the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly
This is perhaps the most abstract reason as to why Virgil van Dijk will win the Ballon d'Or this year, nevertheless, there is substance to it.
Last year Luka Modric broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly that had lasted for a decade. Whilst some were pleased, many had questioned the decision given how well Messi and Ronaldo had played that season.
Of all the reasons given to explain this upset, the one which made the most sense was the football world's desire for a new player to be crowned the "World's Best."
Others suggested it was compensation for times where many felt Messi or Ronaldo shouldn't have won the Ballon d'Or, such as in 2010 for Messi and 2013 for Ronaldo.
In the past, many felt that it would be Neymar, Luis Suarez, or even Gareth Bale, could be the one to usurp the throne, but alas, none them have been able to; albeit for different reasons.
So when Modric had fulfilled much of the criteria that has been typically used to determine who had a better season between Messi and Ronaldo, such as winning the Champions League, it seems that many were keen to use this as justification for a new winner.
The same could apply to Virgil van Dijk who in winning the Champions League has put himself in a good position for many to vote for him, and having already won the UEFA Player of the Year, it seems this may well happen in the other individual awards too.
Footballing Legend, Rio Ferdinand, responded to the notion of boredom attached to Messi and Ronaldo's dominance by suggesting that "They're being punished for the standards they've set over the years and people are becoming bored."
With all of this considered, it is fair, or perhaps unfair, to suggest that this will have a big impact in determining the Ballon d'Or winner this year, with it boding well for the Dutch defender.
