Barcelona star Lionel Messi says he believes Sadio Mane was Liverpool’s standout player during what he describes as an “exceptional” year for the Reds.

The Argentine pipped Virgil van Dijk for the Ballon d’Or back in December, but the Barca legend voted for Mane to win the award. He said he had to make a difficult decision:

“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. I repeat, there were a lot of very great players this year, so the choice was difficult.”

You can’t rule out a bit of brinkmanship here as Messi would have known that van Dijk was his main rival for the accolade, so voting for the Dutchman would not have been a good idea!

However, Mane has had an outstanding eighteen months and he would have been fully deserving of the award considering his level of performances.

The Senegalese international is an indispensable member of Jurgen Klopp’s side, and it could be argued that he is more important to the team than the likes of Mo Salah.

Whether Mane will be in contention for the prize once again, we shall have to wait and see, but Reds fans certainly appreciate his efforts regardless.