‘Van Dijk deserved Ballon d’Or’

LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Virgil van Dijk would have been a worthy winner of the Ballon d’Or but understands why Lionel Messi lifted it for a sixth time.The Dutch captain came second to the Argentina forward despite playing a huge role as Liverpool won the Champions League last season, overcoming Messi’s Barcelona in the semi-final.On Wednesday, runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool host Everton in the 234th Merseyside derby, with the relegation-threatened Toffees looking to break a winless streak on the ground dating back to 1999. Marco Silva’s position is under huge threat but while Klopp had sympathy for his counterpart he said he did not feel sorry for the Portuguese.“Of course I have sympathy because I know how difficult the life of a manager can be,” he told his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/382fiwh