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Argentina captain Lionel Messi voted for Sadio Mane in the The Best FIFA Men's Player award in 2019. Mane used to ply his trade for Liverpool at that point in time and the Senegalese winger was in sensational form.
Messi won the award in 2019 with Mane's then-club teammate Virgil van Dijk finishing second and then-Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo finishing third.
Mane eventually finished in the fourth place. Lionel Messi, however, believed that the current Bayern Munich winger deserved a higher ranking. Speaking to CANAL+, Messi said (via Sky Sports):
"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."
He added:
"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 and Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League in the 2018-19 season, before The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 were held in September. The forward also helped his nation Senegal to a runner-up finish in the Africa Cup of Nations 2019. Hence, it's understandable why the Argentine wanted to see Mane get his plaudits.
After 269 games with the Reds, Mane called time on his career at Anfield. He scored 120 goals and provided 48 assists during his time at the club, also lifting the Premier League in the 2019-20 season.
He joined Bayern Munich at the start of the current season and has since made 23 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti refuses to call Lionel Messi the best player in history
Lionel Messi is no doubt one of the greatest players to ever play the beautiful game. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, however, refused to label the Argentine as the greatest player ever. The Italian recently said (via GOAL):
"It's hard to say. He's a great footballer. His career is spectacular but if he's the best in history, I don't know because each era has had very important players. Saying that he's been the best in history isn't going to come out of my mouth."
