SADIO MANÉ

Liverpool | Senegal | 113 PTS

“I’ll say it again. Sadio Mané best player in the league.” So tweeted No. 1 fan Cesc Fabregas in September, after Liverpool’s ace frontman had bagged a quick- fire brace to sink Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Cesc wasn’t lying, either: he had given the same response when asked the question in January, having also named the speedster among the planet’s top three players months earlier.

Now, the rest of the world is catching up in its appreciation of the 28- year- old. Mo Salah may have edged him overall in every season since the Egyptian’s arrival in 2017, but Reds supporters are just as enamoured with their Senegalese star, who again dazzled en route to Liverpool’s first top- flight title since 1990.

Arguably the most consistent of their lethal attackers, Mané has also blossomed into one of the most complete: a bundle of trickery, imagination, pace and assassin- like finishing.

His game has become about more than goals – see the delightful outside- of- the- boot assist for Diogo Jota’s hat- trick goal at Atalanta in November, when the Merseysiders ran amok.

He’s come a long way. Jurgen Klopp & Co took something of a punt to polish the £ 34m man, who arrived from Southampton in 2016 as a raw but explosive talent. “Maybe people thought, ‘ I’m not sure he’s worth it’, but we were 100 per cent sure about him,” noted the German in July. “Consistency was key… the level he performs at is unbelievable. He came as a young boy and grew up – he matured.”

Klopp’s praise was later even more effusive. “From a talent to a settled, world- class player is a big step, because you have to do it pretty much week in and week out,” he explained. “That’s what he’s able to do. It’s a massive development. I have no idea of a number [ of where he ranks] but for sure in the top, top, top, top offensive wingers, strikers, whatever you want to see in the world. I think everyone would agree on that.”

Well, Jurgen: it appears they absolutely do.