The centre-back was imperious throughout 2018-19 to help Liverpool win the Champions League after racking up a club-record 97 points in the Premier League.
Van Dijk was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season in recognition of his performances for the Reds.
The Dutch missed out on UEFA Nations League success due to a 1-0 defeat by Portugal in Sunday’s final but Georginio Wijnaldum and Ryan Babel believe Van Dijk has a claim for the Ballon d’Or.
“He had a really good season, he tried to stop everyone he was playing against,” said Wijnaldum.