After Lionel Messi winning the UEFA Forward of the Year Award 2019, all eyes were set on the main gong of the night.  Finally, the hosts announced Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as the UEFA Player of the Year 2019. The Liverpool defender pipped Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award. Which means, CR7 went home empty-handed. Lionel Messi Beats Cristiano Ronaldo to Bag the UEFA Forward of the Season 2019.

No sooner Virgil van Dijk won the award the official account of UEFA put up a congratulatory tweet for the defender. They also posted a picture and a short clip which boasted of his achievements for the year. Check out the tweet below:

The Men’s Player of the Year Awards was announced at the UEFA Champions League Group Stage draw in Monaco on August 29, 2019 (Thursday). Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk were the top three names in contention for the prestigious award given to the best player in Europe for the by-gone season. World Cup finalist Luka Modric had clinched the honours last season-ending Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance on the award.

The Barcelona and Juventus talisman were once again the favourites to land the award having led their respective clubs to domestic league titles in the 2018/19 season. Virgil van Dijk, on the other, was a colossus figure at the back as Liverpool swept over its sixth European trophy with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final. He also finished runner-up in the English Premier League with Liverpool, finishing one agonising point behind eventual winners Manchester City.

Messi and Ronaldo have always been the usual names on everyone’s lips when it comes to the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award. Since its inception in 2011, Ronaldo has swept aside the award three times (2014, 2016 and 2017), while Messi (2011 and 2015) won it twice. Messi finished the 2018/19 season with 51 goals, while Ronaldo scored 28 goals in 43 appearances.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2019 10:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).