Ballon d'Or 2019: in Senegal, the disappointment of the fans of Sadio Mané

"He deserved the first place, quite simply." On the Dakar Corniche, football fans are not hiding their disappointment after the fourth place awarded on Monday (December 2nd) to Senegalese Sadio Mané in the 2019 Ballon d'Or.

For fans of the Liverpool striker, the player deserved to get on the podium, or even win the trophy instead of the Argentine Lionel Messi. His record of the season speaks for him: winner of the Champions League, top scorer in the Premier League and finalist of the African Cup of Nations. "The Golden Ball is awarded to the one who has proved better all year long, Mané did it, why was not he given it, it's abnormal, it's unfair," he wonders. a resident of Dakar. "For me, it's number one, no matter if it's African or Senegalese," insists another.

African jurors voted for Messi

In early November, former Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o had already lamented that African footballers were "not always appreciated at their fair value". The Liberian George Weah will remain for at least one year at least the only African to have won the trophy, in 1995.

In an editorial, the Senegalese newspaper Sud Quotidien refuses however "to believe that there is racism" while underlining that Eusebio, Weah, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, former Ballon d'Or, are "all players of color" . "But as long as Africans vote against Africans, it is not tomorrow that we will see the end of the tunnel," the paper notes.

The African jurors of the Ballon d'Or, 49 journalists, did not grant the majority of their votes to the Senegalese player, but preferred Lionel Messi. As specified by France Football, organizer of this award, "while we could have expected a preference for Sadio Mané, the Liverpool player arrived" only "second on his own continent, with 17 points behind on the Argentine (187 against 170) ".

No plebiscite of the African continent for #Mane. I find that very good. Africans do not vote for Africans but for the one they think is the best ... #BallonDor @francefootball pic.twitter.com/5rDYfRPQX8

Questioned by AFP, the former consultant on Canal +, Aboubacry Ba and points the lack of solidarity of African journalists, members of this jury. There is "nothing racist, but if the African votes went to the stars of the continent, things would be different". "The Ballon d'Or is no longer played on the field, it must be given to a player who sells, which is amazing, but not only in the field.The African voters did not understand that sometimes it is necessary to vote realistic", also stresses the Mauritanian journalist Lassana Camara.

"We'll meet again next year"

For others, Lionel Messi was simply once again above the rest. "To be an African footballer is of course a handicap, the main decision-makers and the influential media are not from the continent, but Messi deserves it a lot.Sadio has made an exceptional year but Messi, it is stratospheric", considers El -Hadji Diouf, ex-Liverpool star and former figurehead of the Senegal team.

In any case, Sadio Mané showed fairplay when the results were announced. Absent from the match ceremony on Wednesday against Everton, he sent a message to Lionel Messi: "I say congratulations to the winner, see you next year, I'll try to be there and you can to be raising the Ballon d'Or ".

Sadio Mané, 4th in the rankings this #ballondor 2019 has a message for! pic.twitter.com/wwfDAI38Vn