Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi may reportedly have already beaten Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
The Netherlands international has arguably looked the slight favourite for some time now to pick up this prestigious prize, though it would still be a big deal for a defender to win it against one of the all-time greats in Messi.
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Either way, however, it may already be in the bag for the Argentine as Mundo Deportivo suggest France Football, who run the Ballon d’Or competition, have travelled to Barcelona to interview the player.
This might be in anticipation of Messi winning the prize for the sixth time, which would see him overtake Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 32-year-old and his representatives would supposedly not confirm or deny the meetings, so we’ll just have to find out when the winner is announced.
Liverpool fans won’t be happy if Van Dijk is overlooked after his superb form that has helped LFC become Champions League winners and Premier League leaders.
Some would also argue Reds pair Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah could also realistically be in the running.