Sadio Mane was well and truly at the peak of his powers in 2018/19.

The Senegalese winger has gone from an inconsistent Southampton player to one of the world's most feared attackers in the last few years.

Mane notched 22 goals in the Premier League alone last season, before scoring three times in six games at the African Cup of Nations.

And to add to his personal feats, Mane helped Liverpool win the Champions League, his first major honour with the Reds.

As such, the 27-year-old is one of the big favourites to win the Ballon d'Or, along with Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

But does Mane himself believe he should scoop football's highest personal honour? Absolutely not.

That's because the world-class winger believes Lionel Messi deserves the accolade, despite Liverpool eliminating Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.

Speaking to the media before tonight's UEFA Super Cup match against Chelsea - and sitting alongside Ballon d'Or favourite Van Dijk - Mane spoke very fondly of Messi.

VIDEO

When asked about the Ballon d'Or by a reporter, Mane said: "Messi deserves the Ballon d'Or. He deserves it, everyone knows Messi and how good he is."

Fair play, Sadio.

Van Dijk previously echoed his teammates thoughts on the Ballon d'Or, stating that Messi deserves the award for as long as he plays.

"I think Messi is the best player in the world and I think he deserves it as long as he plays," he told a press conference.

"The Ballon d'Or is not something I am thinking of, but if it happens by any chance I will obviously take it.

"I don't think there is any case and I think that Messi is still the best player in the world and it doesn't matter if he isn't in the Champions League final."

Do you think Messi deserves the 2019 Ballon d'Or? Let us know your thoughts below.