- Virgil van Dijk finished second behind Lionel Messi at the FIFA Football Awards 2019
- Megan Rapinoe, who also won the award in the female category believes Van Dijk should win the title as he is good-looking
- Her comments however elicited mixed reactions, with some fans accusing Rapinoe of double-speak
American football star Megan Rapinoe has backed Virgil van Dijk to win the FIFA Best Player Award some day.
Van Dijk missed out on the prestigious award on Monday night, September 22, with Lionel Messi claiming it ahead of him.
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Virgil van Dijk finished second behind Lionel Messi at the FIFA Football Awards 2019. Photo: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
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Messi raked in 46 points of the votes, with Van Dijk finishing second ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo with 38 points.
Rapinoe however expressed belief the Dutch defender deserves to win the award "just for how cute he is."
Lionel Messi was handed FIFA Best Player Award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Van Dijk. Photo: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
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The made the suggestion while appearing on the green carpet with international teammate Alex Morgan during the award ceremony hosted in Milan, Italy.
The remarks however elicited mixed reactions on social media, with a section of fans accusing the striker of double standards.
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One user said: "So, Megan Rapinoe, a woman who strives for equality and wants female footballers to be praised on ability and not their looks etc, said Van Dijk should of won best player based on his looks...the hypocrisy."
Another noted: "If Virgil Van Dijk said this about Megan Rapinoe he'd be labeled a misogynist and condescending. Harmful to the growth of the women's game."
While a third concluded: “You can’t claim to fight for equal rights and then do what you criticize men for doing. If Van Dijk said that about her, we all know what her reaction would’ve been.”
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