Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk admits he genuinely believed he would win the Ballon d’Or.
The 28-year-old has revealed the disappointment he felt to be beaten to the title of the world’s greatest player by Barcelona ‘s brilliant Argentine talisman Lionel Messi.
“I was slightly disappointed,” said Van Dijk. “I decided I would still go to the ceremony – and, in the end, it was a super night.
“I still consider it a great achievement to be up there with the biggest football icons in the world.
“I spoke to Messi during the evening. It was not the longest conversation because he doesn’t speak a lot of English.
“But it was still enough to make me realise that the respect between us now also runs the other way.”
Be the first to comment