Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk as PFA Player of the Year
The defensive maestro became only the fourth defender since 1973/74 to be crowned the Frofessional Footballers' Association's Player of the year.
The talented centre-back has been effortlessly helping Liverpool to contest for the club's greatest title challenge in the English Premier League era, winning the individual and prestigious award by defeating one of his strongest challengers, in Manchester City's Raheem Sterling, who won the Young Player of the Year gong to compensate for his prolific and outstanding season this term.
Since the commencement of the Frofessional Footballers' Association award, there have been 41 different winners who have emerged as winners, which many people consider as the most prestigious individual accolade in the English game.
Only four centre-defenders have won the special individual award, with attacking players winning on several occasions. Those defenders who have been the deserving winners are Gary Pallister, Paul McGrath, John Terry and Virgil van Dijk.
Prior to the Liverpool's Dutch defender winning the award, Chelsea legend and former captain, John Terry was the last defender to be crowned as the PFA player of the year, when he was considered the most outstanding player of the season as Chelsea clinched the Premier League title, ending a 50-year wait since their previous top-flight championship.
Van Dijk has been in an invincible form up until now, as no opposition player has a complete dribble against him since the start of the season in all competition and leading into their stern test against the likes of Lionel Messi and other Barcelona team mates, as Liverpool are on cusp to overturn the 3-0 scoreline away from Camp Nou, which promises to be a crunch tie.
I'm not sure if he'll be able to hold on to his "zero complete dribble against" status after the second leg of the tie.
And while clinching the English Premier League and the Champions League double will be the best rewards for Van Dijk's efforts, the PFA gives him the individual recognition he warrants. In footballing world where defenders always play second fiddle to their attacking counterparts, it really shows what an outstanding contribution he has made so far in this footballing season.
The defensive maestro became only the fourth defender since 1973/74 to be crowned the Frofessional Footballers' Association's Player of the year.
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| Van Dijk at the PFA award ceremony |
Since the commencement of the Frofessional Footballers' Association award, there have been 41 different winners who have emerged as winners, which many people consider as the most prestigious individual accolade in the English game.
Only four centre-defenders have won the special individual award, with attacking players winning on several occasions. Those defenders who have been the deserving winners are Gary Pallister, Paul McGrath, John Terry and Virgil van Dijk.
Prior to the Liverpool's Dutch defender winning the award, Chelsea legend and former captain, John Terry was the last defender to be crowned as the PFA player of the year, when he was considered the most outstanding player of the season as Chelsea clinched the Premier League title, ending a 50-year wait since their previous top-flight championship.
Van Dijk has been in an invincible form up until now, as no opposition player has a complete dribble against him since the start of the season in all competition and leading into their stern test against the likes of Lionel Messi and other Barcelona team mates, as Liverpool are on cusp to overturn the 3-0 scoreline away from Camp Nou, which promises to be a crunch tie.
I'm not sure if he'll be able to hold on to his "zero complete dribble against" status after the second leg of the tie.
And while clinching the English Premier League and the Champions League double will be the best rewards for Van Dijk's efforts, the PFA gives him the individual recognition he warrants. In footballing world where defenders always play second fiddle to their attacking counterparts, it really shows what an outstanding contribution he has made so far in this footballing season.
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