Published 21:24 IST, December 5th 2019
Lionel Messi gives an honest take on Sadio Mane and Ballon d’Or
Lionel Messi displayed his disappointment after seeing Sadio Mane not being in the top three of Ballon d'Or 2019. Read on for more information.
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Lionel Messi won his sixth Ballon D'or on December 3, 2019, and took the lead against Cristiano Ronaldo in the number of Ballon d'Ors won. Messi won the LaLiga with Barcelona in the 2018-19 season and was the leading scorer in Europe that season. The Argentine bagged a total of 36 goals in LaLiga 2018-19 which was 15 more than second-placed Karim Benzema (21) and Luis Suarez (21). Liverpool's star defender Virgil Van Dijk missed out on the Ballon d'Or by just 7 points and Ronaldo was named third in the list with Sadio Mane settling for the fourth spot.
What an unbelievable player Sadio Mané is, by the way. Everything he touches turns to gold. In the form of his life.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) December 5, 2019
Lionel Messi ranks Sadio Mane very highly
Apparently, Lionel Messi was not convinced after seeing Sadio Mane finish in the fourth place. Lionel Messi displayed his disappointment after seeing Sadio Mane missing out on the top three spots of Ballon d'Or 2019. The legend of the game has always been vocal about his respect towards Mane. Barcelona's skipper even voted for Mane to win the FIFA The Best award and wanted Mane to rank better in Ballon d'Or.
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While speaking with Canal+, Messi stated that it's a disappointment to see Mane finish in the fourth place. However, Leo added that there have been a lot of great players this year and that's why it was difficult to choose a particular player. Sadio Mane was one of the key players in Liverpool's quest to their Champions League victory. Mane has carried his great momentum this year too as he has already scored 13 goals in all competition so far.
🔊 "Leo, you voted for Sadio Mané as the best player in FIFA The Best. Why?
— mx (@LeooMessi10i) December 4, 2019
Messi: "There was a lot of great players this year, but I chose Mané because he is a player I really enjoy watching, he had a great year with Liverpool." 🤩
Respect 🙌 @TeamMessi @10SadioMane pic.twitter.com/bFHeJf19Nw
17:43 IST, December 5th 2019