Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MANE OF THE WORLD
As his form and statistics get better and better, both Messi and Thiago Silva back Kop star Sadio for Ballon d’or United wins ....... 88 Liverpool wins ...76 Draws ................ 66
ON Monday, amid much glittering fanfare, the short list for the best player in world football will be announced.
If there is any justice in that world, then Sadio Mane will be amongst those five Ballon d’or names. Who says? Well, Lionel Messi for a start.
Oh, and the latest elite-level defender to come up against him, Thiago Silva. Both believe the Liverpool forward has reached the summit of the global game in 2019, and the stats back that up.
Last season, Mane was voted the Reds’ best attacking player by the fans after inspiring them to the Champions’ League final and then starring in that showpiece.
He was man of the match against Tottenham, and also in the epic dismissal of Barcelona in the semis.
Yet so far this season his numbers are off the scale – an improvement on an already world class level in every single measurable indicator. Last season Mane finished joint top scorer in the Premier League alongside team-mate Mo Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-emerick Aubameyang.
But he has improved from 0.6 to 0.7 goals per game, and reduced from 140 minutes per goal to 122 minutes this season.
And it doesn’t end there. His shots on target ratio is better, and his conversion rate has improved.
Remarkably, Mane has also found time to improve on his chances created for others too – an area where Salah, despite the talk of greed, has always been stronger.
The Senegal international’s chances created per game has leapt from 1.3 last season to 1.9, while his successful dribbles has also glided gracefully past the previous season’s levels. The question is, why? How has he improved on an already stellar campaign to get Messi suggesting: “He’s so talented, he deserves to win the Ballon d’or.”
Silva, after facing him for Brazil during the international break, agreed, saying: “He’s world class, almost perfect. He deserves to be in the discussion for the Ballon d’or.”
Both Messi and Silva were reacting to the surprising decision not to include Liverpool’s best player on the UEFA and FIFA best player lists.
And yet Mane’s reaction to missing out on both perhaps suggests why he has continued to improve this season.
Asked about Virgil van Dijk and Salah getting shortlisted ahead of him this week, his reply was typical.
“I am happy for them,” he said. “I think it is a reflection for the team. And I am more focussed on trophies for the team than individual honours.”
This current Liverpool side means so much to Mane, and allows his talent to flourish while still providing him with the privacy he craves.
He is a religious man, a family man, and he believes in helping others. When asked this week about a well publicised spat with Salah, after his team-mate didn’t pass at Burnley, his response was perfect.
He explained: “Mo Salah asked me why I was angry, I said because we wanted to score more goals for the team.
“He said he has nothing against me, and I know that. We talk on the phone sometimes, we text each other and we don’t have a problem. So we talked, and everything was like before.
“We talked between ourselves, and then the manager called me into his office and we spoke. I told him it was already sorted and he was pleasantly surprised.”
Jamie Carragher has likened Mane to John Barnes, saying: “A world class wide player who is the difference now for Liverpool. And to be compared to Barnes shows how well he’s doing.”
Robbie Fowler, who played with Barnes, agrees and believes he is Liverpool’s best player. “You put him ahead of Salah in terms of impact over the past year,” said Fowler. “He’s