Lionel Messi has said "it's a shame" Liverpool forward Sadio Mane finished fourth in the 2019 Ballon d'Or vote following such a remarkable year for club and country.
Mane, 27, helped spearhead the Reds' charge to their first UEFA Champions League title since 2005 earlier this year, as well as finishing runner-up with Senegal in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Barcelona talisman Messi, 32, clinched a record-breaking sixth Ballon d'Or in Paris, France, and told Canal+ (h/t Goal's Kunle Fayiga) Mane was his top pick to win The Best FIFA Men's Player award earlier this year:
"It’s a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place.