Winner of the African Ballon d’Or on two occasions in 2001 and 2002, El-Hadji Diouf is now hoping Liverpool’s Sadio Mané can emulate his achievements now that he is playing at Anfield.
Speaking to the press in Senegal, Diouf, who was contracted to Liverpool for three years between 2002 and 2005, said there’s still plenty of time for Mané to win the award, even if this year’s isn’t is.
He said, relayed by Senego: “I hope Sadio Mané wins the next African Ballon d’Or, and that it brings him luck. Sadio is still young. Even if he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or this year, he can win it later. I saw he had a good start to the season. He has the time to win three Ballon d’Or.”
Signed for £35m from the Saints, the 24-year-old has eased into Jürgen Klopp’s plans, scoring three goals and picking up three assists in eight games.
With the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Riyad Mahrez also in the shortlist for the award, 2016 might not be Sadio Manu’s year, but, as Diouf said, time is on the Senegalese forward’s side.
A great first year under Klopp, and who knows?
