Dutch international Virgil van Dijk was crowned European Footballer of the Year (UEFA) Player of the Year on Thursday.

Liverpool midfielder Van Dyke beat out rivals Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Van Dyke became the first defender to win the award in its history, which runs from 2011 until now, and became the sixth player to win the award, where he won Ronaldo three times before and Messi won twice, while the award went to Andres Iniesta, Frenchman Franck Ribery and Croatian Luka Modric .

Van Dyck played a key role in Liverpool's Champions League win last season and was also named the Premier League Player of the Year.