Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is staying grounded after his individual awards.

Though widely tipped to strongly contend for FIFA's prestigious Ballon D'Or this year the towering defender shrugged off individual acclaim.

He said: “I was very proud to win both the UEFA and PFA awards.

“I knew Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to win the UEFA one, and that was a long time ago.

“There will always be lots of opinions on who is named the best player and whether it is a defender or amore attacking player. I am just very proud they chose me."