Van Dijk beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the coveted award and Ferdinand believes the two losers are still the best talents on the planet.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Virgil van Dijk is the best defender on the planet today," the ex-Manchester United and England man told BT Sport.
"But when a man scores 50 goals in a season like Messi did, or Cristiano won three trophies this season, the effect he's had on a new championship and at national level as well, you can't look beyond that.
"People say, 'ah it's a bit boring that those two are still winning' but they're putting up numbers that have never been seen before, for 12, 15 years.
"I'm a centre half and I'm delighted that he's won it, I think he's a worthy winner, but when you've got a man scoring 50 you can't do that."
In a stunning stint last season, Van Dijk marshalled the Reds defence when they won their first Champions League title since 2005, defeating Tottenham Hotspurs at the Wanda Metropolitano in June.
Liverpool also nearly ended their Premier League title drought for the first time in 29-years in a two-horse race that went down to the wire with Manchester City as they were pipped to the title by just a point.
Van Dijk, who joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2017 for a fee believed to be in the region of £75 million has enjoyed successful spell at Anfield as he featured thirty-eight times, scoring 4 goals with two assists last term.
