Virgil van Dijk
Awards & Honours
18
Awards Won
4
Honours
7
Rankings
3
Covers
3
Records
Van Dijk's collection of individual and team honors places him among the elite of world football. He is the only defender to win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, and his runner-up finishes for the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2019 are the highest for a defender in over a decade. He has been named to the FIFPRO Men's World 11 five times and the PFA Premier League Team of the Year four times. His leadership in ending Liverpool's 30-year league title drought and winning the Champions League cements his legacy as one of the game's greats.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Ballon d'Or Runner-up
Finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting, the highest for a defender since 2006.
The Best FIFA Men's Player Runner-up
Finished second in The Best FIFA Men's Player award.
Liverpool FC Captain
Appointed club captain in July 2023.
Netherlands National Team Captain
Appointed captain of the Netherlands national team in March 2018.
Rankings & Lists
Ballon d'Or
The Best FIFA Men's Player
IFFHS World's Best Defender
IFFHS World's Best Defender
FourFourTwo's Best Defenders in the World
The Guardian's Top 100 Footballers
ESPN FC's Top 100 Footballers
Magazine Covers
FourFourTwo
December 2019
The Best Defender on Earth
The Guardian Weekend Magazine
May 2019
Virgil van Dijk: The world's best defender
Sportweek (Netherlands)
June 2019
Champions League Winner
Records & Feats
Only defender to win UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award
Van Dijk is the first and only defender to win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, doing so in 2019.
Highest Ballon d'Or finish for a defender since 2006
His second-place finish in the 2019 Ballon d'Or is the highest for a defender since Fabio Cannavaro won in 2006.
World record transfer fee for a defender
Liverpool paid £75 million to sign Van Dijk in January 2018, a world record for a defender at the time.