Van Dijk in the past week said the time has come for a defender to win the Ballon d’or and the former Celtic centre-back has now elaborated further by underlining his ambition to fulfill a lifelong dream.
This year’s award will be keenly contested once again as Messi and Ronaldo are in with a shout while Van Dijk’s impressive performances for club and country has put him firmly in the midst of potential winners
Van Dijk won last season’s PFA Player of the Year and also helped Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League while helping Netherlands to the Nations League final, where they lost out to Ronaldo’s Portugal.
"If people are talking about it - you can't say it doesn't [excite you]," Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
"But it's a subject we don't have any influence on. I can't change anything right now other than get fit, stay fit and that's the situation.
"Winning something like that is a dream come true for every footballer in the world. If you don't then you just get on with it and try to perform better than last year.
"It would be fantastic and I would be very proud.
"But the main thing will be to focus on what we do all together and achieving the bigger goal - that's getting silverware with the club."
Not since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 has a defender won the most coveted individual honour in world football for leading Italy to win the FIFA World Cup.
Since Cannavaro won in 2006 all four of the subsequent Ballon d’or winners have either been midfielders or forwards with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi winning it five times apiece while Kaka won it in 2007 before Luca Modric’s triumph last year.
The last Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’or award was Michael Owen in 2001.
