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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has won UEFA's Player of the Year award.

The Dutch center-back was a crucial member of the side that claimed Liverpool's sixth Champions League trophy and finished Premier League runners-up to Manchester City by a single point.

He is the first defender to win the award, which was first presented in 2010-11. Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo claimed five of the previous eight awards, with Andrés Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribéry (2013) and Luka Modric (2018) completing the winners' list.

Also, Alisson Becker, Van Dijk's Liverpool teammate, won UEFA's Goalkeeper of the Year award.