Virgil van Dijk was pipped to the award (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

Paul Merson was deeply unhappy with the decision to award the Fifa Men’s Player of the Year prize to Lionel Messi and believes it’s ‘an absolute joke’ that Virgil van Dijk wasn’t honoured in Milan on Monday night.

Messi, who scored 51 goals in 50 games last season, pipped Van Dijk and great rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the prestigious men’s prize to replace Luka Modric as the official best player on the planet.

Van Dijk was the favourite to scoop the award after playing an integral role in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League title, while he also reached the Nations League final with the Netherlands.

Lionel Messi was handed the top prize (Picture: Getty Images)

And Merson was astonished that he was overlooked for the top prize on a night where his manager Jurgen Klopp was hailed as the world’s best manager.




Asked if Messi deserved the award, Merson replied: ‘No. No. It’s a joke. Sorry, it’s a joke.

‘He’s just done what he’s done every season. He hasn’t taken them to another level. He didn’t take them to win the Champions League. That’s what Barcelona are all about.

‘How many does he get against Alaves? You win it because you’ve done something special. Van Dijk has done something special. They’ve won the Champions League, Liverpool.

‘That’s what Barcelona wanted to win. If you asked Barcelona what do you want to win the league or the Champions League? They’d’ve gone the Champions League.

‘For me it’s an absolute joke, that. An absolute joke.

Paul Merson wasn’t impressed (Picture: Getty Images)

‘You know why he’s won that? Because that started in 2016, Ronaldo won it the first two years and then Modric won it last year. So they’ve got to give Messi it.

‘What does Van Dijk have to do? He’s taken Holland to the final of the European thing… I just can’t. He took them to another level.

‘Messi has not taken Barcelona to another level last year. He never took them to another level, he’s just done what he does all the time. Van Dijk took this Liverpool team to an absolute other level.

‘If the coach is getting the coach of the year, how is the player not getting the best player?’

Asked if Van Dijk would win it next year if he had the same season again, Merson added: ‘It’d be hard for him to win it.

‘After what he’s done. Can he go to another level? Can he play any better? The lad probably is at his peak. If he’s got any more gears he’s going to be the best ever.

‘It’s all about the moment, it’s all about now. He should have won this. He should have won it.

‘If he wins the Premier League next season but they don’t win the Champions League, is that Fifa? They don’t care, what are they worried about? They don’t worry about our league. The best XI players always come out of La Liga in the Team of the Year, we never get a Premier League player in it.’