We analyzed who the best soccer player in the world was last year: Messi, Ronaldo, or Van Dijk

Photos by Getty

Virgil van Dijk should be named as the winner of The UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Dutchman excelled for Liverpool and the Netherlands last season, reaching the final of the UEFA Nations League, winning the Champions League, and also claiming the PFA Player of the Year award.
The 28-year-old defender also scored six times for Liverpool last season, and three times for his country, which is the same as what Messi and Ronaldo managed for Argentina and Portugal respectively.
The winner will be announced alongside the Champions League draw in Monaco on Thursday.
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The UEFA Men’s Player of the Year winner will be announced at a glitzy ceremony in Monaco on Thursday.

UEFA revealed its three man shortlist on August 15 and Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Virgil van Dijk were nominated as Europe’s triumvirate of top performers.

All three had excellent individual seasons. Van Dijk captained Liverpool to its sixth Champions League title; Messi tallied 51 goals in all competitions for Barcelona, scooping his tenth La Liga title in the process; while Ronaldo won his first Scudetto with Juventus and the inaugural UEFA Nations League finals with Portugal.

So who should take home UEFA’s most coveted individual prize?

Well, the answer is clear — van Dijk.

Van Dijk channeled Gandalf the Grey last season

Gandalf famously bellowed "you shall not pass" at the Balrog on The Bridge of Khazad-dum in "The Lord of the Rings."

You know the scene. And if you replace Sir Ian McKellen with Van Dijk, and the fiery winged hell-dragon trying to pass him with opposition players, you have a pretty accurate metaphor depicting the Dutchman’s season.

Not one player managed to dribble past Van Dijk during the whole of the 2018-2019. That’s 56 games for club and country in which no-one made it past the him without losing the ball — including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he competed against on three occasions.

J.R.R Tolkein might describe van Dijk’s season as lacaraitë, which is Elvish for unreal. And when combined with the 26 clean sheets he helped Liverpool keep last season, you’ve got yourself a bonafide defensive wizard.

Photo by Getty/Marc Atkins

Fabio Cannavaro is the only defender in history to have won the Ballon d’Or or be named FIFA World Player of the Year, and no defender has claimed the title of UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.

Attack-minded players tend to be viewed more favorably when the votes are cast for these awards. And though van Dijk’s work helped revolutionize the backline at Liverpool FC, his attacking prowess cannot be overlooked.

The Dutchman scored six goals for Liverpool last season, four of which came in the Premier League, and two in the Champions League, which included a decisive header against Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.

He also provided four assists for his teammates, including two in Europe, which is same amount as Cristiano Ronaldo managed, and only one less than Lionel Messi.

For his country, Van Dijk was equally as impressive in the attacking third, scoring three times in just eight games. That is the same return both Messi and Ronaldo managed for Argentina and Portugal respectively.

Reminder: van Dijk’s a centre back. It’s his job to prevent goals. He does that, while also creating and scoring them at the other end of the field.

van Dijk excelled in every competition

UEFA define that the winner of it’s Player of the Year award should be "judged in regard to their performances over the whole season in all competitions – both domestically and internationally – at either club, or national team level."

Lionel Messi was brilliant in La Liga as always, and a good performer in the UEFA Champions League, too, with 12 goals. But the Argentine struggled internationally. He only scored once during the whole competition, and was sent off in Argentina’s third place play-off win over Chile.

Ronaldo’s season acted as a counter to his rival. He excelled internationally for Portugal as the team won the inaugural UEFA Nations League, but he failed to take the Serie A by storm with Juventus, like he did in La Liga when he was at Real Madrid.

Photo by Getty/Simon Stacpoole

The 34-year-old’s return of 21 goals and eight assists in Serie A is solid but inferior to what he accomplished in Spain. In the Champions League, he managed six goals, but his campaign was marred by a red card in the opening game against Valencia. His team was also banished by a young, and brilliant, Ajax team at the quarterfinal stage.

Van Dijk was consistently excellent. He was crucial throughout Liverpool’s sixth Champions League-winning campaign, he scooped the PFA Player of the Year award in the Premier League, and was a standout player for the Netherlands, who finished second behind Portugal.

Van Dijk prevented Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dribbling past him in each of his three encounters with the pair throughout the season.
Van Dijk scored as many times for his country last season as both Messi and Ronaldo, with all three managing three goals for their respective nations.
He also managed an equal amount of European assists for Liverpool as Ronaldo for Juventus, and only one less than Barcelona for Messi.
The Dutchman, a bonafide defensive wizard, excelled across every competition he played in for club and country, helping Netherlands to the UEFA Nations League final and Liverpool to the Champions League trophy.

The winner for Thursday’s UEFA Men’s Player of the Year is clear. It has to be van Dijk.

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