Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has been crowned the 2018-2019 Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year. The Dutch player who has been present in Liverpool’s title charge this season has played all 36 league games for the title contenders. Van Dijk is also responsible for helping the Reds to a league-best 20 clean sheets in the current football campaign.
Receiving the award, the Dutch defender highlighted that it was the highest honour as a player to be voted by fellow players and professional colleagues who play against him every week to be their player of the season.
Van Dijk was signed by Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 and is currently the most expensive defender in the Premier League with a price tag of £75m. He has gone on to justify the weight of his price tag with his defensive displays which has earned him this award.
He succeeds his Liverpool team mate Mohamed Salah who won the prestigious award last year (2017-2018) and goes on to be the first defender to take home the award since Chelsea’s legendary centre-back John Terry in 2005.
Also on the night, Raheem Sterling went home with the PFA Young Player of the Year Award. Sterling who has been in blistering form this season has helped stir Manchester City to the pinnacle of the Premier League.
Receiving the award, Sterling wrote on Twitter: “Very proud with the PFA Young Player of the year and truly thankful for the incredible support for the whole season; let’s go for more!!!”
The England international who has been in the news this season for a number of reasons from being racially abused to helping spread word about cancer hopes to end the current campaign on a high by winning the Premier League for a second consecutive season.
