Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award on Thursday, edging out Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Lucy Bronze took the women's prize. Dutchman Van Dijk starred as Liverpool won their sixth European Cup last season with a 2-0 Champions League final victory over Tottenham in Madrid.
"I need to thank my teammates, without them I would not have achieved what I have achieved," Van Dijk told BT Sport. "It's been a long road and it's part of my journey. I'm very proud to get this trophy. It's credit to everyone who has helped me."
The 28-year-old is the first defender to win the award since the inaugural edition in 2010-11. He moved to Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 for a then-world record fee for a defender of £75 million ($91.4 million), immediately helping them reach that season's Champions League final where they lost to Real Madrid.
Full-back Bronze won the Women's Champions League title with Lyon before helping England reach the women's World Cup semi-finals. The 27-year-old Bronze is the first English player to win either of the UEFA player of the year titles.