Jurgen Klopp's opinion regarding Lionel Messi and current Liverpool star that reportedly upset Sadio Mane re-emerge amid rumors of return

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp once made a Lionel Messi claim that reportedly upset Sadio Mane. The matter has resurfaced amidst rumors of Mane potentially making a return to Anfield.

The Senegalese international recently fell out with his Bayern Munich teammate Leroy Sane. The incident hasn't gone down well with the Bayern bosses, and Mane could be sold in the summer. A return to Merseyside is potentially on the cards for Mane.

Mane, however, hasn't always had a frictionless relationship with Klopp. After Messi won the Ballon d'Or ahead of Virgil van Dijk in 2019, Klopp said (via The Mirror):

"Things like this are decisions made by journalists. I see it slightly different and a lot of people see it slightly different but that’s absolutely no problem. Lionel Messi, I've said probably 500,000 times in my life already, is probably the best player I saw in my lifetime. Very early in my life, I saw Franz Beckenbauer and Diego Maradona but I've seen Lionel Messi more."

He further added:

"I don’t know how the others would have played nowadays – probably exceptional – but Lionel Messi is here now and he has won it six times and Cristiano [Ronaldo] five times but last season I cannot remember a more impressive season from a defender ever. Honestly. So it would have been right if Virg won it."

Mane, a Liverpool player at that point in time, managed a fourth-place finish. However, he was reportedly a bit agitated to see his manager credit his teammate, Van Dijk, but not him.

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Lionel Messi heaped praise on then-Liverpool star Sadio Mane after the 2019 Ballon d'Or

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While Sadio Mane couldn't manage a top-three finish in the 2019 Ballon d'Or, the Senegalese was praised by Lionel Messi. The Argentine ace lauded the way Mane positively impacted Liverpool's season that term.

Speaking after the Ballon d'Or award ceremony in 2019, Messi said:

"It's a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place. 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 because he's a player that I like. Mane achieved a great year that was exceptional for the entire Liverpool team. That's why I chose him."

Mane has always been a crucial player for the Reds during his time at Anfield. He scored 120 goals and provided 48 assists in 269 matches during his six seasons at the English club. He helped the team win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, among other trophies.