Virgil van Dijk and several Liverpool teammates showed significant loyalty by voting Mohamed Salah as the world’s best player at the FIFA awards ceremony in Doha.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk demonstrated unwavering loyalty to teammate Mohamed Salah during the voting for The Best FIFA Football Awards held in Doha.
Despite the Egyptian forward missing out on the top prize to Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele, Van Dijk used his vote as Netherlands captain to place Salah first.
This gesture of support comes during a complicated season where Salah has faced recent squad exclusions following a public outburst directed at manager Arne Slot.
The solidarity extended beyond the club captain, as fellow Liverpool internationals Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo also selected Salah as their top pick for the prestigious award.
These votes underscore the internal respect Salah maintains within the dressing room, particularly following a title-winning campaign last year.
In contrast, young defender Conor Bradley, captaining Northern Ireland, opted for Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, while Salah himself cast his primary vote for PSG defender Achraf Hakimi.
The voting also revealed a divide regarding the FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year award, which was won by Luis Enrique.
While Van Dijk, Robertson, and Szoboszlai all showed support for their current manager by voting for Arne Slot, three other unnamed Liverpool players chose Enrique.
Slot ultimately finished third in the coaching category. Despite the individual honors going elsewhere, the results highlight a strong sense of unity under Van Dijk’s leadership, as he noted, “I’d be very proud if any of the squad win awards.”