Liverpool star, Sadio Mane, has described Lionel Messi’s vote for him in the FIFA Best player award as a ‘great compliment’.
Even though Liverpool dramatically dumped Barcelona out at the semi-final stage of last season’s Champions League, Messi clearly didn’t bear any grudges.
The Argentine star voted for Senegal forward Mane when asked to pick his player of the year for 2019.
In the end, Messi scooped the award ahead of Mane’s Liverpool teammate, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus, with Mane fifth behind another colleague, Mohamed Salah.
Mane said: “It’s a great compliment when Messi votes for you. If you look at where I’ve come from, it shows I’ve come quite far.
All I can say is to keep working hard and go for your dream.”
Mane scored 26 goals in 50 matches for Liverpool last season with his tally of 22 in the Premier League earning a share of the Golden Boot with Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.