Sadio Mane has been backed to win the coveted Ballon d'Or by Didier Drogba.
Mane has become one of Liverpool's best players over the last few years and was an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's side winning the UEFA Champions League back in June.
Now, Chelsea legend Drogba has said that Mane should be in line to win the most illustrious individual award in football.
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Speaking to The Independent, the former striker stated he thinks Mane should top the 30 man shortlist and win the Ballon d'Or.
"For the AFCON, the Champions League, and the league championship. What he does in the Premier League, very few players are able to do it.
"It is possible, but it would have been possible [for others to win] well before. There are many players who have represented well the African continent, like Samuel Eto'o."
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Eto'o was one of the best strikers in the world in his prime but he never won a Ballon d'Or.
He did manage to come third in the rankings of the now defunct FIFA World Player of the Year back in 2005.
"What is a pity is that when we talk about African players, we talk about the continent, we do not speak of a country.
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We will never say 'Kylian Mbappe represents the European continent'. It is a small shift [in mentality] that is present.
"But to return to the question, it would be really nice that Sadio, or even Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continue to raise their level of play to hope to win this trophy."
The 27-year-old finished the domestic league season as its joint top scorer on 22 goals as Liverpool missed out on the Premier League title by one point.
He also helped Senegal reach the African Cup of Nations final over the summer but they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Algeria.
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The former Southampton man has formed one of the deadliest trios in world football with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
Mane also recently stated that he would love to stay at Liverpool for the rest of his career.
The last African player to win the Ballon d'Or was George Weah back in 1995 while playing for AC Milan.
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