The edition of the award was controversial in that while many belived that Messi was the rightful winner of the award, many others believed that Virgil van Dijk had been unfairly overlooked.[7][8][9]Jürgen Klopp stated afterwards: "Last season, if you really go for only that season, then I cannot remember a more impressive season for a defender ever, honestly. So it would have been right as well if Virgil would have won it."[10]Steven Gerrard concurred, stating: "I'm Messi’s number one fan, for sure. I love the player. Obscene numbers in his game in terms of assists and goals. I'm definitely a Messi fan, in the gang. … But if you talk about consistency from one player over a year, who wins the European Cup and is absolutely faultless in every performance, that means you deserve to win the Ballon d'Or."[10]
