Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has said “the time has come”, for a defender to get the Ballon d’Or.
This comes amid speculation that he is in the frame to scoop football’s top individual award.
Van Dijk has already collected the PFA’s Player of the Year award, as the Reds claimed the Champions League title and a second-place finish in the Premier League.
“To get the PFA Player of the Year is a fantastic honour.
“it’s the highest honour you can get because it’s voted by your fellow peers.
“I said it back then as well, I would trade it for the Champions League. Luckily, I didn’t have to.
“It’s an honour if people are talking about [the Ballon d’Or], but what can I do? I have no influence on anything.
“I can’t deny I had a pretty good season last year, so the only thing I can do now is just focus on the new season, getting fit, stay fit and hopefully get an even better season than I had last year.
“I can understand the fact that normally strikers or No. 10’s win these awards because it’s more attractive to see. But maybe the time has come to change it,” Van Dijk told Liverpool’s official website,
