Virgil van Dijk has had a simply sensational few months, leading many Reds fans to suggest he should win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Now it seems the bookies agree, with the Dutchman now the favourite for the award after he moved ahead of Lionel Messi in terms of odds. According to TalkSport, Van Dijk is currently 4/6, while Barcelona forward Messi is 6/5.
It says a lot about the way in which Jurgen Klopp’s team have been playing that three other players – Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Alisson Becker – are also in contention.
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If Mane wins the AFCON this evening for Senegal, he will join Alisson in being a European champion with the Reds and also a hero at international level. Salah, meanwhile, has had a stunning couple of years in which he has scored 54 Premier League goals in just 74 matches, winning consecutive Golden Boots.
Messi and Ronaldo have understandably had a grasp of the honour for several seasons, up until last year when that pattern was broken by Luka Modric. Van Dijk could well be set to follow in the Croatian’s footsteps.