Gerrard: 'Faultless' Van Dijk deserves Ballon d'Or more than Messi

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard says Virgil van Dijk "100 per cent" deserves to claim the Ballon d'Or for his "faultless" performances en route to winning the Champions League.

Van Dijk is in the running for football's top individual prize, going up against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

But Gerrard, now Rangers boss, while claiming to be "Messi's number one fan", is in no doubt that the Liverpool defender should get the award.

Speaking after Rangers' draw with Feyenoord, Gerrard responded when asked by a Dutch reporter if Van Dijk should win: "Yes, 100 per cent.

"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."

Van Dijk finished second behind Messi in FIFA's The Best awards in September.