Sergio Ramos backs Virgil van Dijk for the Ballon d’Or crown

Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos has said that Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk deserves to win the Ballon d’Or title this year after helping his team win the Champions League title last season. The Netherlands international has been incredibly consistent with his performances at the heart of the defence since joining the Reds and he was recently named as the UEFA Player of the Year.

Speaking to Marca, Ramos said that the Ballon d’Or does not seem to be about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo anymore. He added that there is the route for other players to win the coveted individual prize and Van Dijk would deserve the accolade based on the showing for the Merseyside giants last term.

He said: "If Van Dijk wins it, it will be on sufficient merit.As a defender, it's harder. It seems as though it's not just Messi and Cristiano [now]. It seems there's a route opening [for others]. It makes you think [when you realise] that no Spanish players have won it. It's an individual prize and it's not really known what is being recognised."

The Reds possessed the best defence across Europe’s top-five leagues last season and they missed out on the Premier League title by the single point to Manchester City. A section of the supporters were undoubtedly shattered by the margin to the league title but the Reds have since won the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup to shed the disappointment.

In the current league season, the Reds have made a quick start to the proceedings and they have accumulated the perfect tally of 12 points after the opening four games. Jurgen Klopp’s side are presently two points ahead of reigning champions City at the top of the table. They are scheduled to host Newcastle United at Anfield this weekend.