Ranking the top five favorites for the Ballon d'Or - October 2019

#4 Sadio Mane (Liverpool/Senegal)

Liverpool FC v RB Salzburg: Group E - UEFA Champions League

Over the last four seasons, Sadio Mane has played his way into becoming an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's revolution at Anfield.

Following the arrival of Mohamed Salah in the summer of 2017, the Senegalese international combined with the Egyptian and Roberto Firmino to form what can arguably be considered to be the most lethal frontline in world football.

Between them, the trio have torn apart defences, and their efficiency came to the fore in Liverpool's record-breaking campaign last season.

Mane starred with 26 goals and five assists from 50 matches in all competitions, with his goal involvement ratio second to only that of Salah in the Liverpool squad.

Four of those goals came in the Champions League, with the 27-year-old scoring a brace in the 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 to eliminate the Bavarians on their perch, while he also won the first-minute penalty that set Liverpool on their way to victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

Domestically, Mane was also one of the standout performers and he scored 22 goals to finish joint-top of the scorers' chart, although Liverpool missed out on the league title by the narrowest of margins.

Following his successful individual campaign at club level, Mane returned to the international stage with his country Senegal and scored three goals as the Teranga Lions made it to the final of the Africa Nations Cup in Egypt where they lost to Algeria.

This season, the former Salzburg man has continued from where he left off and scored a brace in a man-of-the-match performance in the UEFA Super Cup victory over Chelsea.

He is also playing a starring role as Liverpool seek a first-ever Premier League title, and has scored four times and assisted once to help Liverpool maintain their 100% start to the campaign.