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da supremo： Didier Drogba believes Sadio Mane is capable of emulating George Weah by becoming the second African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or.
What did he say?
The Liverpool forward is part of the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award and the former Chelsea striker believes he has a good chance of winning due to his particular skill set.
Mo Salah is also nominated and therefore it would be a surprise if Mane has won, since Mo Salah has finished ahead of him in the African Football of the Year award for two years running.
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Drogba stated that he hopes Salah continues to improve in order to win the Ballon d’Or, but when asked who his favourite was for 2019, he told Paris Match:
“Sadio Mané. For the CAN, the Champions League, and the championship. What he does in the Premier League, very few players are able to do it.
“It would be really nice that Sadio (Mané) or even Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Eymeric Aubameyang continue to raise their level of play to hope to win this trophy.”
Liverpool supporters will likely be pleased to hear support of their players, particularly from a figure who so often acted as not only a rival to the Reds, but a key thorn in their side during his many years of success at Chelsea.
Deserved recognition
Mane is often a selfless player and the tireless work he does off the ball often gets overlooked and instead his teammates are the ones who earn praise and individual awards.
A moment in the match against Spurs on Sunday highlighted this fact, with the Senegal international winning the crucial penalty which earned his side the win – only for the home crowd to sing the name of Salah after he drove home from 12 yards.
As a result, it is nice for Mane to be recognised by a fellow pro and one of the best African players of all time, with Drogba finishing fourth in the competition in 2007.
Furthermore, his 26 goals in 2019 far outweigh the Egyptian’s total of 17, and above Aubameyang’s 24, despite the fact he plays on the wing, and doesn’t take penalties.
He scored key goals on Liverpool’s journey to Champions League glory, too, opening the scoring with a well-taken goal against Bayern Munich, but the fact he often loses out on awards to Salah still means it would be a shock for Mane to be recognised ahead of him.
The likes of Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk have also been superb this year, and have been rewarded with the FIFA Best and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards respectively, so Mane winning is very much an outside bet.