Celtic hero nominated for Ballon d'Or as he competes…

Celtic hero nominated for Ballon d'Or as he competes with superstars to be named world's best

Celtic took him in nine years ago to hand him a chance at UK football - and nine years later Virgil Van Dijk could be crowed the best player in the world. The Liverpool defender has been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award, an honour bestowed upon a player voted as the best individual in football currently.

He ranks ahead of serial winner Lionel Messi, who is not on the shortlist for the first time since 2005. Anfield teammates Darwin Nunez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Fabinho have also been nominated for the award alongside players like Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Van Dijk moved to Celtic in 2013 after time in his native Netherlands at Groningen and made himself a fans favourite at Parkhead with a string of strong performances during his two-year stint, leaving in 2015 for Southampton and Premier League competition.

Now 31, the central defender won two Premiership titles and a League Cup during his spell in Glasgow.

He has been with Liverpool in 2018 and moved to Southampton in 2018 for a report of fee of £75 million.

Celtic were reported to have received 10% of Van Dijk's transfer fee, due to a sell-on clause placed in his Southampton contract.

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