{"id":1111411,"date":"2019-10-19T12:26:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-19T11:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1111411"},"modified":"2019-10-19T12:26:12","modified_gmt":"2019-10-19T11:26:12","slug":"arsene-wenger-ballon-dor-2019-liverpool-mane","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/arsene-wenger-ballon-dor-2019-liverpool-mane\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsene Wenger makes his 2019 Ballon d’Or award pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Liverpool forward Sadio Mane deserves to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Teammate Virgil van Dijk is one of the favourites to lift the award, alongside usual suspects Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n

Should Mane win the Ballon d’Or? Five things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  • Mane scored 26 goals across all competitions for Liverpool last season.<\/li>\n
  • The Senegalese forward was key as Liverpool won the Champions League.<\/li>\n
  • But he was unable to help them finally seal a long-awaited Premier League title.<\/li>\n
  • Wenger believes he still did enough to scoop the 2019 Ballon d’Or award.<\/li>\n
  • Mane will have to compete with Van Dijk, Ronaldo and Messi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7399272-i-don-t-think-there-s-a-ground-that-makes-klopp-s-liverpool-more-nervous<\/p>\n

    But Mane himself is enjoying a wonderful period in his career, scoring 34 goals in his last 61 Liverpool appearances and helping the Reds to their sixth Champions League crown last season.<\/p>\n

    And Wenger believes the Senegal international is the rightful heir to the Ballon d’Or throne this time around.<\/p>\n

    When asked by\u00a0beIN Sports who should win the Ballon d’Or during a Twitter Q&A, Wenger responded<\/a>: “Mane was the outstanding character, I would say \u2013 because he is a fighter\u2026 and efficient.<\/p>\n

    “He\u2019s not scared of anybody. At the moment, he deserves huge credit.”<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>

    READ MORE:<\/span> Man Utd vs Liverpool preview and predictions<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

    Mane missed out on a spot in Fifa’s World XI last month but the 27-year-old insists the success of his team is far more important than any individual accolades.<\/p>\n

    “As I said before, I do not focus on individual distinctions, the collective results are more important to me,” Mane told<\/a> Canal+ Sport.<\/p>\n

    “The choices were made. I wasn’t chosen, the players in the awards had exceptional seasons, they deserved to be there, I congratulate these players.<\/p>\n