Virgil van Dijk was crowned the Premier League's Player of the Year by his peers on Sunday, but the Liverpool defender insists he is not thinking of battling Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or.

Van Dijk will come up against the five-time Ballon d'Or winner when Liverpool travel to Barcelona for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday. Messi has scored 46 goals this season as Barca have wrapped up another La Liga title with three games to spare and remain on course for a treble of league, Copa del Rey and Champions League.