Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Virgil van Dijk was the best player of the last season.
Klopp is also of the opinion that if the last season's performance will be taken into consideration then Van Dijk will win the Ballon d'Or.
"If you give the Ballon d'Or to the best player of this generation then you should give it always to Lionel Messi. That's how it is," the club's official website quoted Klopp as saying.
"But if you give it to the best player of last season, then it was Virgil van Dijk. I don't know exactly how it will work but that is how I see it. The best player of all? That's Lionel. Best player of last season? That's Virgil. We will see," he added.
Van Dijk is one of the seven Liverpool players to feature on the 30-man list nominated for this year's award. The Ballon D'or will be presented on December 2 in Paris.