For Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk there might be a whole lot more on the line than just the inaugural Nations League title on Sunday, as analysts are tipping the game to have ramifications for this year's Ballon d'Or.
Whoever ends up making the telling impact in tonight's Nations League Final between Portugal and the Netherlands in the Estadio do Dragao, it is probably fair to say that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk will have their fingerprints smudged all over the game.
Ronaldo's goalscoring instincts still haven't dulled, even at the age of 34. He was the focal point of a Juventus attack which romped to their eighth successive Scudetto in his debut season in Serie A.
Meanwhile, though, some 1,600km away Liverpool's totemic Dutchman van Dijk was making a habit of handcuffing the best attackers that the Premier League had to offer en route to his side's best season in decades.
Also on rt.com Will a Liverpool player win the Ballon dOr? Heres what Jose Mourinho had to say…
The clash between arguably the two best attacking and defensive talents in world football will serve as a centrepiece to Sunday's Nations League Final – and possibly give one of them a head start in the race to the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
Ronaldo's exploits in front of goal need little elucidation. The Portuguese is one of the most natural goalscorers of his generation, an attribute built on almost pig-headed reluctance to settle for second-best.
He has tallied five Ballon d'Ors in his career, a figure matched by Lionel Messi, but you can be certain that he will not be truly satiated until he pulls away from his Argentinian rival.
Virgil van Dijk stands in his way – and not just on Sunday evening. The English Player of the Year has been revelation at Anfield since completing a record-breaking move from Southamption 18-months ago.
A defender hasn't won world football's top individual prize since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 but, according to Jose Mourinho at least, it remains very much a possibility for van Dijk.
"I think Van Dijk, why not a defender?" Mourinho said to RT. "But didnt win the Premier League, in spite of [the fact that] he was considered the best player.
"But if Holland manages to go Portugal [in the Nations League] and win a trophy, a small trophy but a trophy, that can play [a role in deciding the Ballon dOr]."
Cannavaro's Ballon d'Or came on the back of him captaining Italy to the 2006 World Cup, so it remains to be seen if van Dijk's successful Champions League campaign this year will be enough to place him in front of other contenders.
His accomplishment appears to trump that of Ronaldo, at least according to Mourinho.
"The World Cups and the Champions Leagues and the Euros, they are the ones that have something to say about it," he said. "But Cristiano [Ronaldo] waRead More – Source
For Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk there might be a whole lot more on the line than just the inaugural Nations League title on Sunday, as analysts are tipping the game to have ramifications for this year's Ballon d'Or.
Whoever ends up making the telling impact in tonight's Nations League Final between Portugal and the Netherlands in the Estadio do Dragao, it is probably fair to say that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk will have their fingerprints smudged all over the game.
Ronaldo's goalscoring instincts still haven't dulled, even at the age of 34. He was the focal point of a Juventus attack which romped to their eighth successive Scudetto in his debut season in Serie A.
Meanwhile, though, some 1,600km away Liverpool's totemic Dutchman van Dijk was making a habit of handcuffing the best attackers that the Premier League had to offer en route to his side's best season in decades.
Also on rt.com Will a Liverpool player win the Ballon dOr? Heres what Jose Mourinho had to say…
The clash between arguably the two best attacking and defensive talents in world football will serve as a centrepiece to Sunday's Nations League Final – and possibly give one of them a head start in the race to the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
Ronaldo's exploits in front of goal need little elucidation. The Portuguese is one of the most natural goalscorers of his generation, an attribute built on almost pig-headed reluctance to settle for second-best.
He has tallied five Ballon d'Ors in his career, a figure matched by Lionel Messi, but you can be certain that he will not be truly satiated until he pulls away from his Argentinian rival.
Virgil van Dijk stands in his way – and not just on Sunday evening. The English Player of the Year has been revelation at Anfield since completing a record-breaking move from Southamption 18-months ago.
A defender hasn't won world football's top individual prize since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 but, according to Jose Mourinho at least, it remains very much a possibility for van Dijk.
"I think Van Dijk, why not a defender?" Mourinho said to RT. "But didnt win the Premier League, in spite of [the fact that] he was considered the best player.
"But if Holland manages to go Portugal [in the Nations League] and win a trophy, a small trophy but a trophy, that can play [a role in deciding the Ballon dOr]."
Cannavaro's Ballon d'Or came on the back of him captaining Italy to the 2006 World Cup, so it remains to be seen if van Dijk's successful Champions League campaign this year will be enough to place him in front of other contenders.
His accomplishment appears to trump that of Ronaldo, at least according to Mourinho.
"The World Cups and the Champions Leagues and the Euros, they are the ones that have something to say about it," he said. "But Cristiano [Ronaldo] waRead More – Source
