Drogba Endorses Mane For Ballon D’or
Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba believes Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has done enough to win this year’s Ballon d’or award.
Mane impressed for Jurgen Klopp’s men last season as the Reds won a sixth European Cup by defeating Tottenham Hotspurs in the final and only missed out on the Premier League title by a point to Manchester City.
His 22 Premier League goals last season were enough to earn him a share of the golden boot award along with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The 27-year-old replicated his club form for Senegal at the 2019 African Cup of Nations, but the Teranga Lions lost narrowly to Algeria in the final.
Mane has continued from where he left off last season, scoring nine goals in 13 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions despite missing much of pre-season due to international exertions over the summer.
The former Southampton forward has been named on the 30-man shortlist for the most prestigious individual prize in world football and Drogba is backing Mane to become the first African since George Weah in 1995 to win the award.
"For the Cup of Nations, the Champions League and the Premier League [Mane deserves to win]," two-time Premier League golden boot winner Drogba explained to Paris Match.
"What he does in the Premier League, very few players are able to do it."
"There are many players who have well represented the African continent, like Samuel Eto'o."
"What is a pity is that when we talk about African player, we talk about the continent, we do not speak of a country. We will never say Kylian Mbappe represents the European continent. It is a small shift that is present.
"But to return to the question, it would be really nice if Sadio or even Mohamed Salah continue to raise their level of play to hope to win this trophy."
