- Sadio Mane is one of four Liverpool players in the Ballon d’Or top seven
- As per winner Lionel Messi, Mane should have finished higher
- Messi won the sixth Ballon d’Or on Monday in Paris
- Mane was in sublime form for Liverpool against Everton
Lionel Messi has praised Sadio Mane and described it as ‘a shame’ that he finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or ranking.
Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the sixth time on Monday, eclipsing Mane’s team-mate Virgil van Dijk to claim the gong. Cristiano Ronaldo was third, with Mane fourth and Mohamed Salah fifth.
Messi speaks highly of Mane
The Argentine has paid tribute to Senegal star Mane, though, and explained why he voted for him for FIFA’s The Best award earlier in the year.
‘It’s a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place,’ Messi told Canal+.
‘But I think there have been a lot of great players this year. That’s why it was difficult to choose a particular player. But I chose Sadio Mane (for The Best award) because he’s a player that I like.”
Mane had a great year with Liverpool team which saw them winning Champions League.
Sadio Mane’s Recent Performance
Mane was in fabulous form against Everton; he justified he being number four in the list. The winger was the only regular member of front three to start the match at Anfield but made his presence known, scoring once and providing two assists.
Mane’s brilliant through-ball for Divock Origi was inch-perfect and Origi finished equally well. Trent Alexander-Arnold then provided an assist for Mane. The Senegalese star then grabbed the opportunity and shocased a superb finish with a brilliant left-footed effort.
