Before I dive into what is likely a relatively meaningless topic as my opinion means nothing, I’d like to congratulate Lionel Messi on winning his record-setting sixth Ballon D’Or as the world’s best football player in 2019. Get out of here with your Messi vs Ronaldo debates and recognize that both these players are now in their thirties and while they aren’t really showing signs of slowing down, they won’t be playing forever. Ronaldo has won the award five times and finished second in voting six times, while Messi has finished second in voting five times. No other player has won the award more than three times. What each of these players has done is simply remarkable - no award can do it justice. Cherish each game they play and remind yourself how lucky you are to have been a soccer fan while both of the players are in their seemingly never-ending primes.
Contrary to years past; however, Cristiano Ronaldo was a distant third place in this year’s voting. The man in between Ronaldo and Messi in voting was Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk, who has revolutionized a Liverpool team that struggled to prevent goals before his arrival to the English club roughly two years ago this January. Van Dijk was the first defender to finish in the voting’s top three since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, who captained Italy to a World Cup title (and actually won the award). While Messi’s season was very impressive (the longer he plays, the more normal and routine these seasons feel), it makes me wonder what else a defender could possibly do to win the award.
In the beginning of the 2017-2018 season, Liverpool showed signs of an electric attack but lacked defensive strength. I went to a Spurs bar to watch them play Liverpool in October 2017 and Spurs absolutely hammered them 4-1, taking advantage of multiple defensive blunders virtually gifting Tottenham goals (shoutout Dejan Lovren, how in the world is he still at Liverpool??). Fast forward to January, Virgil immediately changed their defensive identity. Their defensive miscues went down drastically and they suddenly were much more difficult to defeat. Van Dijk helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final where they were bested by Real Madrid in a game that was really defined by the errors of their goalkeeper Loris Karius.
The 2018-2019 season for Liverpool was a game-changer. They were virtually unstoppable in the Premier League, in large part to the improvements of Virgil Van Dijk, their wing-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold & Andy Robertson, and the signing of new goalkeeper Alisson Becker. While other teams splashed the cash on attacking-minded players, Liverpool prioritized strengthening their defense, and it paid off. The 2019 season saw Liverpool finish just one point behind Manchester City in the greatest title race in English history, while miraculously winning the Champions League as well (It should also be noted that they defeated Messi and Barcelona in the UCL semi-finals in their only head-to-head matchups of 2019).
No defender has had an impact on their team the entire decade as Virgil has for Liverpool. He’s virtually impossible to dribble against, commands the entire defensive line, and has even scored seven times since joining Liverpool, a remarkable stat for a defender. I know Messi had another unbelievable season, but for me, Virgil should’ve won the award this year without question. It just feels like scoring goals were prioritized over preventing goals, and Van Dijk was more impactful in his role than Messi.
Author: Living in Southern California, Robert Sweeney has been a fan of soccer since he played as a young child. Since then, he’s become a diehard Tottenham and US National Team fan. Rob enjoys writing about the impact soccer has had on his life in hopes that it betters others as well. Twitter: @robsweeney11