Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given a typically classy response to seven of his players being nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
The Reds perhaps unsurprisingly a number of players in the final 30, with this surely being in recognition of their success in last season’s Champions League.
MORE: Jurgen Klopp lines up surprise €60million transfer to replace in-form Liverpool star
Mohamed Salah, Alisson, Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk all made it into the 30-man shortlist, with Dutch defender Van Dijk perhaps one of the favourites to win the prize.
Klopp, however, doesn’t seem overly fussed about individual awards, despite admitting the number of Liverpool players there was perhaps a good indicator of their improvement.
Still, the German tactician gave a classy response when asked about the seven players, suggesting the rest of his team could and should have been nominated as well.
“I heard we had seven nominees and my first question was, ‘who is not nominated?’,” Klopp is quoted by the Telegraph.
“It is nice. I do not understand much about these kinds of things to be 100 per cent honest – and what it means to the players.
“I know when you win it is big and if you don’t it does not hurt too much. It is a very good sign and after last season and how we played it is normal that a lot of players have to be nominated if there are football experts.”
You could certainly make a case for Andrew Robertson, Fabinho and perhaps Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip making the list, but LFC fans will now surely just be rooting for Van Dijk to end Real Madrid and Barcelona’s dominance of this prize.