Van Dijk named UEFA Men's Player of the Year
ISTANBUL. KAZINFORM Virgil van Dijk, a Dutch defender of English club Liverpool, was named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year on Thursday.
Van Dijk, 28, beat European superstars Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo to became the number one footballer of the season, Anadolu Agency reports.
The winner of the award was announced during this season's Champions League group stage draw in Monaco.
Argentinian football star Messi won the award in 2011 and 2015. Meanwhile, Ronaldo became the winner in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric was named as the UEFA Men's Player of the Year in 2018.
Dutch international Van Dijk has been regarded as an integral part of Liverpool, helping the Reds win the UEFA Champions League and Super Cup trophies in 2019.
Last season, he had 50 appearances for Liverpool, scoring six goals and producing four assists.