The ex-Barcelona midfielder, who is now 39, thinks the Lion of Teranga is a superb player and deserving of the prestigious individual prize.
Yaya Toure, a former captain of Manchester City and the Ivory Coast, believes Sadio Mane will take home the Ballon d’Or after joining Bayern Munich.
The 30-year-old had a successful season in 2021–2022, playing for Senegal and English club Liverpool.
In 48 games across all competitions, the Lion of Teranga scored 21 goals at the club level. The Reds won the League and FA Cups during that time, and they also advanced to the Champions League final. In the Premier League race won by the Citizens, the group also came in second.
Mane scored crucial goals to assist his nation win its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophy and advance to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Despite heavy opposition from Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, the former Elephant believes Mane should win the prized individual award for the aforementioned reasons.
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According to Toure, “I observe that [Mane] has chained a lot of games and that he has suffered from very few injuries.”
“He rarely gets hurt since he is physically very powerful. I personally know him to be a wonderful guy and a good person. I wish for him just the best.
“I’m hoping he’ll have a successful [World Cup] campaign and not just finish highly but also take home the Ballon d’Or. Sadio Mane excels both as a player and a person.
“Sadio Mane has just been transferred from a large club to a big club, since he is leaving a big machine and a superb coach in Liverpool for Bayern Munich,” said one sports writer.
Senegal made it to their third World Cup in history and will represent the continent alongside Cameroon, Tunisia, Ghana and Morocco. Toure has explained why Senegal have what it takes to perform well.
“And then there is the World Cup. He [Mane] knows he will be eagerly awaited. We see that Senegal has a fairly strong workforce with many players playing in big teams in Europe,” Toure continued.
“We see Kalidou Koulibaly in Naples, an already established player, sought after by all the big clubs, who is among the best in the world. There is Gana Gueye who plays in Paris [Saint-Germain].
“It’s a bit like the Ivory Coast of the time when we played the [Afcon] and the World Cup. There is also Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who won the Champions League… Next to him, Sadio Mane has all these interesting players.”
