Jurgen Klopp 'upset' former Liverpool star with Ballon d'Or remark and Lionel Messi waded in
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Virgil van Dijk's placing in this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony represented a significant drop from his runner-up spot in 2019.
Nevertheless, Liverpool's legendary skipper found himself at the heart of a reported row between former manager Jurgen Klopp and ex-teammate Sadio Mane in the build-up to the 2019 awards.
Van Dijk secured 28th position in this year's Ballon d'Or as PSG winger Ousmane Dembele claimed the prize.
In 2019, which saw Lionel Messi triumph, former Reds manager Klopp openly supported the notion of Van Dijk securing the accolade ahead of Mane, who was also in contention.
The controversy reportedly infuriated Mane, who even received backing from Messi himself, reports the Mirror.
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"I don't know how the others would have played nowadays – probably exceptional – but Lionel Messi is here now and he has won it six times and Cristiano [Ronaldo] five times but last season I cannot remember a more impressive season from a defender ever.
So it would have been right if Virg won it."
According to France Football, Klopp's comments 'upset' Mane, with speculation about an Anfield departure for the forward quickly emerging afterwards.
Mane netted 22 times for Liverpool during their Champions League-winning campaign and proved crucial to a Reds frontline that also included Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
The Senegalese forward ultimately claimed fourth position in the Ballon d'Or rankings.
He left the Reds with an impressive tally of 120 goals and six major trophies under his belt, including the Premier League title in 2020.
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This year's Ballon d'Or rankings featured four Liverpool players among the top 30, with Alexis Mac Allister securing the 22nd spot and new recruit Florian Wirtz ranking just above Van Dijk in 29th place.
Last season, Salah played a pivotal role in Liverpool's Premier League victory, contributing 34 goals and 23 assists, but he could only secure a fourth-place finish in the Ballon d'Or rankings.