Virgil van Dijk has broken his silence after the Liverpool captain placed 28th in the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or vote.
Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk was included among the 30 Ballon d’Or nominees, but his hopes of finishing high up the rankings ended quickly on Monday night.
Although he was never considered a frontrunner—an honour ultimately claimed by Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé—many fans on social media questioned the Liverpool captain’s surprisingly low placement.
Meanwhile, his teammate Mohamed Salah secured fourth place after winning the Premier League Golden Boot and helping the Reds capture the league title. However, Liverpool’s Champions League round-of-16 exit to PSG likely damaged the Egyptian’s chances of placing higher, or even taking the award outright.
Elsewhere, midfielder Alexis Mac Allister finished 22nd, while new signing Florian Wirtz came 29th for his performances with Bayer Leverkusen rather than his brief time at Anfield.
Van Dijk became the first of Liverpool’s nominees to react publicly to the results, sharing photos from the Paris ceremony with the caption: “Better luck next time,” which many interpreted as a subtle message aimed at the organisers.
Liverpool’s response to the Ballon d’Or results
The four players were not the only Liverpool representatives who left empty-handed. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker came second in the Yashin Trophy vote, while manager Arne Slot lost out on the Men’s Coach of the Year award to PSG’s Luis Enrique.
On Monday, Liverpool acknowledged the results with two posts: one highlighting Salah’s fourth-place finish, and another celebrating his remarkable season with the caption: “A season to savour for Salah.”
As a result, the club’s wait for a Ballon d’Or winner continues, now stretching to 25 years. Michael Owen was the last active Liverpool player to claim the prize back in 2001, while Van Dijk’s runner-up finish in 2019 remains the closest a Red has come since.
