Ballon d'Or 2019: 'Winning AFCON will help Sadio Mane win the Ballon d'Or', says Senegal coach

Modified Jul 22, 2022 23:50 GMT

What's the story?

Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse believes that winning the African Cup of Nations will take Sadio Mane closer to winning the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year.

In case you didn't know

Mane has enjoyed a stellar campaign with Liverpool, finishing his domestic campaign with the Premier League Golden Boot after netting 22 goals in the English top flight. The forward has tallied 26 goals in all competitions for the Reds, marking his best-ever goal-scoring season.

The Senegal international has played a crucial role in Liverpool's scintillating campaign, terrorising defences across Europe alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. Jurgen Klopp's men put up an intense fight against Manchester City in the domestic league and finished their season at second place with a staggering 97-point tally, which is a single point away from winners, City.

Liverpool did manage to end their decade-long trophy drought by winning the UEFA Champions League following a comfortable win over fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.

In contrast, Mane's performances in the Africa Cup of Nations were questionable, even drawing jeers and boos from Senegalese fans during his side's win over Equatorial Guinea.

The heart of the matter

When asked if Mane can win the Ballon d'Or this year, Cisse exclusively told Goal,

"Why not? He has worked hard not only in the last year but since 2011, where I've known him to have great discipline and high professionalism. I followed him from his time in Austria and Southampton until he arrived at Liverpool."

"What he has achieved this year is a result of great effort over many years and winning the AFCON will be an extension of those efforts. It will take him a step closer to the Golden Ball, which I think he deserves to win."

He added, "No one can dispute the abilities of Sadio Mane. He's a world-class player and has proven as much. He's always talking [to me] about everything, even when he's with Liverpool."

"I've tried to help him as best I can but more importantly, he has self-confidence and he managed to recover quickly. What's happened [the criticisms] has motivated him to respond to everyone and I think he's succeeded in doing that."