Netherlands vs England: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink explains why Liverpool star Virgil Van Dijk may NEVER win the Ballon d’Or

Netherlands vs England: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink explains why Liverpool star Virgil Van Dijk may NEVER win the Ballon d’Or
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has explained why Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is unlikely to EVER win the Ballon d’Or.Van Dijk is set to lead the Netherlands out against England on Thursday night in Guimares in the Nations League semi-final.getty3

Playing at the back is unlikely to do Van Dijk’s chances of lifting the Ballon d’Or much good

Fans can listen to the game on talkSPORT for live commentary from 7.45pm – to see who will face Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in the final on Sunday.The former Celtic colossus was instrumental in securing a sixth Champions League trophy for the Reds in Madrid and came agonisingly close to lifting the Premier League trophy.But, despite keeping 20 clean sheets and stopping every opponent dribbling past him in his past 64 appearances, Hasselbaink has explained why the PFA Player of the Year is unlikely to be recognised on the global stage.Virgil van Dijk is getting close to be one of the best Dutch defenders ever,” the Chelsea legend told betoclock.com“The last great defender we had was Jaap Stam, now we have two in Virgil and Matthijs De Ligt.getty3

Matthijs de Ligt is learning from Virgil van Dijk

“Virgil has done exceptionally in the Premier League, but now he has to maintain that level.“Hes got the potential to win the Ballon dOr, but its very hard to win it as a defender.With Manchester United flop Memphis Depay enjoying a revival in France and Georginio Wijnaldum continually impressing in midfield, this is a Dutch side to be taken seriously.But Hasselbaink is wary of placing too much pressure upon the shoulders of this young Oranje side.getty3

Former Chelsea striker Hasselbaink knows an imperious defender when he sees one

The future looks really, really bright for Netherlands,” he added. “Lots of young players are coming through, who are playing week in week out, at the likes of Ajax.“Theyre playing at the highest level too, in Champions League semi-finals, and Dutch football is doing so well. They drew to Germany and are now in the semi-final of the Nations League.The only thing theyre missing is an out-and-out striker to become even better, but Memphis Depay has filled that gap superbly.“To progress, we firstly need to qualify for European Championships. We didnt qualify for the last Euros or World Cup.“Once thats done, we need to try and get as far as possible and then build on it. The team is young so the tournament after that, you go and try to get further.

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