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Liverpool manager says ‘it would have been right if Virg won it’ • Klopp says club might make January moves if players availableJürgen Klopp claims Virgil van Dijk deserved to win the Ballon d’Or ahead of
Lionel Messi for his outstanding contribution to Liverpool’s Champions League-winning season but should now focus on going one better next year.
The defender finished second in the annual poll on Monday when Messi collected the prize for the sixth time by beating Van Dijk by seven votes. The manager admits Messi is the finest player he has seen but after a campaign in which Van Dijk excelled in Liverpool’s defence, including the
Champions League semi-final comeback against
Barcelona, he claimed the Netherlands captain merited the honour.