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Virgil van Dijk was declared the 'man of the match' in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday night as Liverpool edged Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to lift their 6th European title in Madrid. This performance capped off a wonderful season for the Dutch centre-back, having already been voted the PFA Players' Player of the Year.
With Lionel Messi unable to guide Barcelona to Champions League glory and Cristiano Ronaldo taking his time adapting to life in Italy, many are calling for Van Dijk to be awarded this season's Ballon d'Or.
The last centre-back to win the coveted individual title was the legendary Fabio Cannavaro, back in 2006. So how does Van Dijk compare to the former World Cup-winning Italian captain?
#3 League and Domestic Performances
Cannavaro was at the very top of his game in the 2005-06 season for Juventus, masterminding a second successive Scudetto for the Old Lady. Cannavaro was widely recognised for his performances, winning won four Oscar del Calcio (The Italian Football Oscars) awards between 2005 and 2006. He was adjudged the defender of the year in 2005 and 2006 and was recognized as the 2006 Italian player of the year.
The Scudetto title, was, however, later stripped from Juventus and awarded to Inter Milan after the 2006 Calcipoli scandar broke out in Italy, implicating Juventus and many other major teams AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina when a nexus was exposed between team managers and referee organizations, with proof emerging that teams had engaged in selecting favorable referees. Cannavaro was unable to inspire Juventus to the Coppa Italia title, with the Old Lady losing out to Roma in the Quarterfinals after a penalty shoot-out
Virgil van Dijk has had a majestic 2018-19 season with Liverpool, marshalling the meanest defence in the Premier League, which conceded only 22 goals in 38 league games. He also has the unparalleled distinction of being the only defender in Europe's top 5 leagues this season to not have been dribbled past even on a single occasion. His absence in crunch games proved detrimental to Liverpool's fortunes this season, as Jurgen Klopp's decision to rest his star defender in the EFL Cup and FA Cup 3rd rounds resulted in the Reds being eliminated by Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
#2 Champions League Performance
Cannavaro and Juventus succumbed to their second successive Quarter-final exit in the 2005-06 Champions League, with Arsene Wenger's Arsenal knocking them out on a 2-0 aggregate scoreline, thanks to goals from Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. In fact, Cannavaro never managed to win a UEFA Champions League title in his illustrious career with his biggest European continental club trophy win being the UEFA Cup he won with Parma in 1998-99.
Van Dijk, in direct contrast, has been a revelation this seaon in the Champions League, emerging as the best central-defender in the tournament. Keeping the likes of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski quiet in the knockout rounds, the Dutchman made short work of Tottenham's famous front line of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli in Madrid, never conceding an inch of space. He has undoubtedly been Liverpool's most valuable player in the Champions League, also chipping in with 2 goals and 2 assists in the tournament.
#1 International competitions
Ultimately, it was his otherworldly performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup that won Cannavaro the 2006 Ballon d'Or. Captaining an heavyweight Italian side, Cannavaro led an impregnable defensive unit, ably supported by Marco Metarazzi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Grosso, Alessandro Nesta and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon that showed the world how attacks win you games, but defences win you championships. Cannavaro was majestic in the final, keeping the likes of Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery and Zinedine Zidane quiet as Italy beat France on penalties to lift their 4th World Cup title. The Italian defender was recognised as the world's most elite centre-back at that time, triggering a big-money move to Real Madrid and also resulting in the Italian winning the 2006 Ballon d'Or as well as the FIFA Player of the Year title.
Van Dijk has captained a rejuvenated Netherlands side into the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, where they are set to face England on June 7th. After the disappointment of missing out on qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Oranje have undergone a massive makeover under new manager Ronald Koeman. They have demolished all teams in their path to book a place in the final 4 of the inaugural UEFA Nations League. Under Van Dijk's leadership and with a host of new youngsters like Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong introduced to the side, the Dutchmen beat World Champions France 2-0 and European heavyweights Germany 3-0 to reach the semis.
If Van Dijk can replicate the level of performances he has shown at club level for the Oranje and lead them to the UEFA Nations League title, then the footballing world will have no choice but to applaud the Dutchman for an impeccable season and award him the Ballon d'Or. Ultimately, Van Dijk has shown greater consistency on the European and club than Cannavaro did in 2005-06. But the Liverpool man needs a noteworthy international title to seal the deal and become the first defender to lift the Ballon d'Or since 2006, especially since he faces a strong challenge from a certain Mr. Lionel Messi.
