Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has backed Virgil van Dijk to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

Lionel Messi and Van Dijk are frontrunners to win this year's award, which will be presented at the France Football ceremony on Monday.

The Dutch defender, who signed for Liverpool in January 2018 for £75m, played an indispensable role in Liverpool's triumph in the Champions League last season.

Asked whether Van Dijk deserved to win the award, Gerrard told the Daily Mail: "Yes, 100%. I'm Messi's No 1 fan, for sure. I love the player. Obscene numbers in his game in terms of assists and goals. I'm definitely a Messi fan, in the gang.

"But if you talk about consistency from one player over a year, who wins the European Cup and is absolutely faultless in every performance, that means you deserve to win the Ballon d'Or."

Should Van Dijk win the award, he would be the first defender to claim the accolade since World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.