Lionel Messi on Sadio Mane Finishing Fourth in Ballon d’Or 2019 List, ‘It’s a Shame’

Lionel Messi picked up the Ballon d’Or 2019 for the sixth time in his career whereas, Virgil van Dijk stood on number two. Juventus star finished on number three and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane is on number four on Ballon d’Or 2019 vote list. Now, Sadio Mane’s number four ranking on the Ballon d’Or 2019 list did not go down well with the Barcelona star considering the fact that he helped Liverpool win the Champions League 2019 and played a vital role in making Senegal the runner up in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Lionel Messi Poses With Antoine Griezmann After Winning Ballon d’Or 2019, Squashes Rumours of Rift Between the two (See Pic).

Messi said that there were a lot many good players in the list this year and it is difficult to pick one but chooses Sadio Mane particularly because his year with Liverpool has been quite a good one. "It’s a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place. 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."

Mane did not attend the Ballon d'Or gala night due to professional commitments. He took to social media to explain his absence from the ceremony. My schedule didn’t allow me to be with you tonight as I have a match on Wednesday but congratulations to the winner, see you next year. Hopefully to win it! Inshallah!," he said in the video. Talking about Messi, the Barcelona star won the Ballon d'Or award for the first time in the last four years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 06, 2019 09:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).