Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has said the fact Barcelona icon Lionel Messi recently voted for him in FIFA's Best Men's Player award is an indication of the progress he's made as a player.
Messi eventually won the accolade, beating Mane's Reds team-mate Virgil van Dijk and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah was fourth in the voting, with Mane fifth.
On the night, it was confirmed Messi had picked Mane as his winner. The Senegal international said he was delighted to have earned the recognition of such a legendary figure in the sport, per Jonathan Northcroft of The Sunday Times.