Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk claimed the Uefa Men's Player of the Year award on Thursday night, beating Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the title. Here is how the Dutchman got his hands on the prestigious accolade.
Click through the gallery above to see all the 2018/19 Uefa awards winners!
On Thursday, Van Dijk crowned a remarkable 2018/19 campaign by walking away from the Uefa gala in Monaco as the best men's player in Europe.
The Dutch international was named the Uefa Men's Player of the Year following his performances with Liverpool and the Netherlands during the season, which saw him win the Uefa Champions League and earn runners-up medals in the Premier League and the inaugural Uefa Nations League.
Van Dijk, who also won the Champions League Defender of the Season award, made 50 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool, scoring six goals and recording four assists, but it was his defensive contributions that earned him the accolade.
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The former Celtic and Southampton star kept the most clean sheets by any defender across Europe's top five leagues in 2018/19, and was named Man of the Match in the Reds' 2-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in last season's Champions League final.
He also played an integral role in the Netherlands reaching the final of the Uefa Nations League, where they ultimately suffered a narrow defeat to reigning European champions Portugal.
The award was voted for by the 80 coaches who had taken part in the previous season's European competitions, as well as 55 journalists selected from Uefa's member associations, and the panel was unanimous in their decision.
Read: The 10 Previous Uefa Men's Player Of The Year Winners
Once the votes had been tallied, Van Dijk emerged as the winner with 305 points, more than double the number of votes Messi and Ronaldo received combined, and walked away as the first defender ever to be crowned Europe's best player.
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