“2019 has been Sadio’s year” – Robertson hails Liverpool’s Ballon d’Or contender
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has hailed the “magnificent” Sadio Mane, saying 2019 has been his year.
The Senegal international scored 22 Premier League goals last season to share the Golden Boot alongside Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and teammate Mohamed Salah.
Should Mane win the Ballon d’Or? Five things to know…
- Mane won the 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot with 22 goals.
- He scored 26 times across all competitions as Liverpool won the Champions League.
- Mane has started this season in fine form, with 10 goals in 15 games so far.
- His form has seen him nominated for the Ballon d’Or award.
- Mane is among the favourites but will face competition from the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Van Dijk.
And Mane has started 2019/20 in similar style, netting 10 times across all competitions already, including the winning goal as Liverpool sealed a stoppage-time comeback victory away at Aston Villa on Saturday.
His electric form has seen him emerge as one of the favourites to scoop the 2019 Ballon d’Or award.
Mane had already assisted Robertson’s equaliser before sealing a vital win in added time and after the match, the Scotland international gave a glowing appraisal of his teammate.
“Sadio has been magnificent since I’ve come in, but 2019 I think has been Sadio’s year,” insisted Robertson. “He’s really turned it up; he obviously shared the Golden Boot last year and he’s off to a flier this year.
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“It was a smashing goal. We worked on it in training, worked on the front post, and we probably didn’t work on it quite as well as Sadio’s just headed in Trent’s ball, but that’s why we do it in training and luckily the finish, the big moments happen in the 94th or 95th minute, and he pops up. An incredible finish.
“We just need to keep going because we probably weren’t at our best, especially in the first half, and we need to get better and we need to play better, but as long as we are winning games when we are not playing at our best then we are happy.”
Liverpool’s win over Villa maintains their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after Manchester City performed similar comeback heroics to beat Southampton 2-1 at the Etihad.
The Reds face KRC Genk in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting Pep Guardiola’s men in a crunch title clash next Sunday.