Former Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf claims the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will make it difficult for an African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or.
Barcelona and Argentina captain Messi received his sixth Ballon d’Or on Monday as Liverpool forward Sadio Mane came close to winning the coveted crown by finishing fourth in the voting.
Since former Liberia captain George Weah became the first non-European to claim the Ballon d’Or in 1995, no African player has achieved that feat again.
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In recent years, Messi And Ronaldo have taken turns to bag the Ballon d’Or and Diouf feels the two’s presence will make it difficult for Africans to win that recognition although he said Mane has potential to claim the award.