Sadio Mane reveals his pick for Ballon d'Or 2022 award: 'He totally deserves it'

After helping his Bayern Munich side register an emphatic 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzeň in the third game of the UEFA Champions League group stage on Tuesday, Sadio Mane revealed who he would like to see win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award this year. The Senegalese international suggested the name of one of his rivals despite having an outstanding season himself, where he won the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) with his country and two domestic titles with Liverpool.

Sadio Mane gives his pick for Ballon d'Or 2022 award

While speaking to Canal+ after Bayern Munich's win over Viktoria Plzeň, Sadio Mane said, "Honestly, I think Karim (Benzema) deserves it this year. He had a great, great season with Real, with whom he won the Champions League... He totally deserves it, so I'm very happy for him."

Speaking of the African Cup of Nations he won himself, the Senegalese international added, "It was a great relief for me, but also for the whole country. I am very happy to have won my first Afcon with the country, but I think Karim deserves it, I sincerely think so."

Ballon d'Or 2022 nominees

Real Madrid 

1. Karim Benzema
2. Antonio Rudiger
3. Thibaut Courtois
4. Vinicius Junior 
5. Luka Modric
6. Casemiro

Liverpool 

7. Mohammad Salah 
8. Trent Alexander-Arnold
9. Luis Diaz
10. Fabinho
11. Darwin Nunez
12. Virgil van Dijk

Manchester City

13. Kevin De Bruyne
14. Phil Foden
15. Joao Cancelo
16. Riyad Mahrez
17. Bernardo Silva 
18. Erling Haaland

Manchester United

19. Cristiano Ronaldo 

Tottenham Hotspur

20. Harry Kane 
21. Son Heung-min 

Bayern Munich

22. Sadio Mané 
23. Joshua Kimmich

Barcelona

24. Robert Lewandowski

Paris Saint-Germain

25. Kylian Mbappé

Borussia Dortmund

26. Sébastien Haller 

AC Milan

27. Mike Maignan
28. Rafael Leao 

RB Leipzig

29. Christopher Nkunku 

Juventus

30. Dusan Vlahovic

When will Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony take place?

The Ballon d'Or 2022 ceremony will take place on October 17, 2022, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. Alongside the Ballon d'Or award, which is the most crucial individual trophy awarded to a football for an outstanding performance over a calendar year, the ceremony will also announce the winners of the Kopa Trophy (for the best performing player under the age of 21) and the Yashin Trophy (for the best goalkeeper). The timing of the event is likely to be announced in due course.