Sadio Mane tips player who ruined Liverpool’s season to win Ballon d’Or

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Sadio Mane has tipped Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema to win the Ballon d’Or despite the striker playing a key role in Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League final defeat in Paris this year.

Speaking to Canal+, the now-Bayern Munich attacker surprisingly backed the France international to win the Ballon d’Or this year, with Benzema having his best ever season as Madrid won both the Champions League and La Liga in Carlo Ancelotti’s comeback year.

With the timeframe for the Ballon d’Or voting now changed to now only consider an entire season rather than the entire calendar year, Benzema is the clear favourite to win the 2022 award after scoring an incredible 44 goals and bagging 15 assists in all competitions, with Robert Lewandowski the only player to score more in Europe.

Whilst Mane himself is a contender for the award after winning the Africa Cup of Nations and winning a domestic double with Liverpool, the winger tipped Benzema to win the Ballon d’Or, with the winger saying: “I think that Karim deserves it this year.”

“He’s had a great, great season with Real Madrid. He’s won the Champions League. I think he easily deserves it, so I’m happy for him. I know I won the African Cup of Nations, it was a relief for me and for the whole country, and I’m really happy to have won my first Afcon with my country. But I think it’s Karim who deserves it, and I honestly believe that.”

Benzema the only real option to win the Ballon d’Or this year

The 2021/22 season saw some truly incredible players hit what could be the pinnacle of their careers. From the aforementioned Lewandowski and Mane to Kevin De Bruyne and Kylian Mbappe. Yet for the Ballon d’Or this year, no player can hold a candle to what Benzema did for Madrid.

Los Blancos were not even the conversation to win the Champions League until the turn of the year and Benzema’s reawaking, and performances against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City in the competition were some of the best we saw from any football player last season.