Van Dijk Should Scoop Ballon d'Or Award- Klopp

Liverpool's head coach Jürgen Klopp has said on Monday that the Reds' defender Virgil van Dijk should scoop the Ballon d’Or award this year.

Van Dijk was nominated in the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award alongside the iconic Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.

The winner of this accolade prize will be announced in Paris on December 2, but first, the list will be condensed to a shortlist of nominees.

Klopp said that Messi is the best player of this generation, but he affirmed that van Dijk was the best during the last season due to his outstanding efforts with the Reds.

“If you give the Ballon d'Or to the best player of this generation then you should give it always to Lionel Messi. That’s how it is,” Klopp said, according to Liverpool's official website.

[caption id="attachment_93095" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Van Dijk alongside Klopp[/caption]

“But if you give it to the best player of last season, then it was Virgil van Dijk. I don't know exactly how it will work but that is how I see it," the German coach added.

“The best player of all? That's Lionel. Best player for last season? That’s Virgil. We will see,” he concluded according to the official website.

Last year, Barcelona midfielder Luka Modric won the 2018 prestigious award, ending seven years of dominance by Ronaldo and Messi.