Van Dijk admits he was 'disappointed' to lose out on Ballon d'Or to Messi

Virgil van Dijk has admitted that he was disappointed to finish second to Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or voting.

"I was slightly disappointed," Van Dijk said in quotes published in the Mirror. “I decided I would still go to the ceremony – and, in the end, it was a super night.

“I still consider it a great achievement to be up there with the biggest football icons in the world."

A highlight of the evening for Van Dijk was the opportunity to speak with Messi, and despite his limited English, the Argentine was able to express his admiration for the Liverpool star.

“I spoke to Messi during the evening. It was not the longest conversation because he doesn’t speak a lot of English.

“But it was still enough to make me realise that the respect between us now also runs the other way.”

Van Dijk credited the close-knit feeling at Liverpool for the success he's had, saying that stars of the club past and present all coexist happily on Merseyside.

"This Liverpool bunch is phenomenally close together," Van Dijk said. "In my opinion, Liverpool are one big family – and that is why this club suits me so much.

“James Milner says the same thing – and he has played at big clubs like Man City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa.

“That’s why this club is great for me. The people are all ­humble. The legends of the great days – such as Kenny ­Dalglish and Ian Rush – travel with us during European weeks.

“Dalglish even sends me texts on my phone and we will have a chat at times.

“When I go to see my family after a match, I go by the boardroom and it is always full of former top players."