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.

Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane has said that Barcelona star Lionel Messi deserves the Ballon d’Or and he does not have to describe the qualities of the Argentina international. Messi came a distant fifth in the race for the coveted prize last year and that came as a surprise for many, given the attacker had helped the Blaugrana win a domestic League and Cup double.

He has not been able to replicate the feat during the recent campaign, where the Blaugrana only won the league title, but a large section of the footballing fraternity have touted him for the prestigious accolade this time around. Speaking in a press conference, Mane was asked whether he can win the Ballon d’Or ahead of Messi and he responded with a ‘No’ while saying: "I will recognise that he deserves to win it. For sure, everybody knows Messi, so I don't have to describe how good he is."

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has said that he would be proud to win the Ballon d’Or this year, although the main focus remains on bagging more trophies with the Merseyside giants. The Netherlands international has been a revelation since making the switch to Anfield from Southampton last year and he was hugely influential towards the Reds’ Champions League title success last term.

The trophy ended the club’s seven-year wait for silverware and Van Dijk is focused on finding more success on the team scale rather than looking at individual honours, he told Sky Sports: “If people are talking about it – you can’t say it doesn’t do you something. But it’s a subject we don’t have any influence on. I can’t change anything right now other than get fit, stay fit and that’s the situation.

Egypt head coach Javier Aguirre believes Mohamed Salah could get into contention for the Ballon d’Or, should he guide the national team to African Cup of Nation success. The 27-year-old experienced another top season at the club level with Liverpool and he ended the campaign by lifting the Champions League title.

Despite this, Salah remains an outsider for the title with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him but Aguirre believes the Egyptian could make a strong push for the prestigious trophy by winning the AFCON title, he told The National: "He's helped me with the group since the beginning; he's a kind of leader. I'm really happy with him because he had an extraordinary season with his club. So I say, 'OK Mohamed, if you're able to help us win the African Cup, for sure you're going to be in the last three or four for the Ballon d'Or'. He's a very nice guy, a humble guy. He's sincere, he jokes with everybody. We have a real normal relationship."

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has said that compatriot Lionel Messi remains his pick for the Ballon d’Or title. The Argentine was recently quoted stating that any player in the Champions League final should be rewarded with the prestigious accolade but he has clarify over the same by stating that he was misquoted.

Writing on his official Twitter account, Aguero said that he was asked whether he should be rewarded with the Ballon d’Or to which he added that he should have reached the Champions League final. Furthermore, he clarified that Messi remains his choice for the Ballon d’Or this year, considering his form through the course of the season.