Virgil van Dijk was crowned the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year on Thursday, but it’s unlikely the honours will stop there.
Van Dijk won almost 100 more points than Lionel Messi, the best player on the planet, in the battle for the award.
That bodes very well indeed for his chances of further individual recognition.
Thursday’s achievement was arguably the most impressive yet, following on from the UEFA Defender of the Season, PFA Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season prizes.
Next up it’s the Fifa Best awards.
Van Dijk has been nominated for Best Men’s Player alongside team-mates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as well as the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Voters this time have to take into account both the player’s on-pitch performances and off-field conduct.
The ceremony, during which he will almost certainly be named in the FIFPro World XI, takes place on Tuesday, September 24.
Then attention turns to the mighty Ballon D’Or.
Nominations will filter out in October, with the ceremony set for December.
Van Dijk does look the favourite, but it’s worth noting that no defender has taken home the golden trophy since World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
Publicly, Virgil says his focus is only on helping the team and that these awards mean relatively little.
But as fans, it’s so pleasing to see his remarkable displays rewarded, and to have some of the very best within our ranks once again.