Celtic fans witnessed Virgil van Dijk’s brilliance for a short space of time.
But those two years the Liverpool defender spent in Glasgow are still talked about today, as it’s no surprise he is now one of the best defenders in the world.
On Monday night, the world’s best football players descended in Paris for the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with van Dijk hoping to get recognised.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele won the main prize, beating Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, with Portugal midfielder Vitinha third.
But how van Dijk has been treated and ranked hasn’t gone down well with fans.
- READ MORE: Charlie Mulgrew on when Celtic dropped Virgil van Dijk for Efe Ambrose in the Champions League
Where Celtic hero Virgil van Dijk ranked in the 2025 Ballon d’Or list
Van Dijk has excelled everywhere he has gone, including helping himself to three trophies at Celtic, before embarking on a legendary career in the English Premier League.
Even though Liverpool won the Premier League title last season, and van Dijk was a key player in Arne Slot’s men securing glory, he was ranked 28th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or list.
The Ballon d’Or top ten was dominated by PSG players, after their Champions League success, with five players named in total, but van Dijk’s name was nowhere to be seen.
Liverpool fans call out van Dijk’s ranking
As you can understand, this hasn’t gone down well with the Liverpool fans, and they rightfully voiced their anger and bemusement.
Even Celtic supporters would agree that van Dijk deserves more respect, but perhaps it’s a case of him being a defender, so they are looked at very differently.
@lfc_meg thinks all of this is just ‘hilarious’: I’d love to see 27 players better than him in the last 20 years, let alone last year, when he captained his team to a league title. Just hilarious at this point.’
@DGAFWUT labelled it ‘diabolical’: ‘Diabolical, imo …best defender in the world can’t make top 10.’
Do defenders deserve more recognition, as @eramiegbami added: ‘The best defender in the world ranked 28th after a stellar season. It’s hard being a defender in modern football.’
Another shout on how the Ballon d’Or doesn’t rate defenders, as @RedsPerspective stated: ‘Ballon d’Or doesn’t recognise defenders. It’s a known fact.’
@ez89o9 explained the impact van Dijk is having on young kids: ‘People don’t understand the impact of Van Dijk & defending.. kids actually wanna be defenders nowadays because of him.’
@Senso_15 only used two words: ‘Games gone.’
@LFCUNLOCKED used just one word: ‘Shambles.’
@salahs_selfie slammed the way the Ballon d’Or is conducted: ‘I hate the award, I think the whole thing is mad, but that’s so silly.’
Never a truer word spoken about van Dijk, as @fletchof205 added: ‘Criminally underrated.’
@Wirt7Flo threw some verbal punches at La Liga: ‘We don’t have PR works like Spanish media.’
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