Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Virgil van Dijk winning the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award is a "important sign for football".
The Dutchman became the first defender to win the award on Thursday, beating out perennial winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Brilliant! It's really big. I wanted to call him immediately but he had to go on stage," Klopp told the club's website.
"I'm so happy for him; I'm happy for us as well because he knows that without the boys around him, he cannot win that prize. It's a prize for all of us but we send our big man there to get it.
"It's big. It's really rare for a defender. It's such important information for football, such an important sign for football.
"Yes, we all love goals we want to score them and see them but more and more and more people get excited about defending.
"Virg is an exceptional defender, in the moment 100 per cent the best defender in the world, so he deserves that prize absolutely. It's now the icing on the cake of the Champions League campaign last year. It's really big and I'm completely happy for him and his family."
