Former Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure believes Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane deserves this year's Ballon d'Or.
Mane led Senegal to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon by beating Egypt on penalties in the final as well as helping Liverpool win the FA Cup and League Cup in England last season but narrowly missed out on the Premier League title before the Reds lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.
The 30-year-old was recently named on a list of 30 nominees for the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) Men's Player of the Year award for 2021-22.
"I see that [Mane] has chained a lot of matches, that he has suffered from very few injuries," Toure told RFI.
"He is hardly ever injured, he is very strong physically. He's also a good guy, a good person that I know personally. I want the best for him.
The former Barcelona midfieder added: "I hope he will have a good [World Cup] tournament and I hope he won't just be ranked high but win the Ballon d'Or. Sadio Mane is a great player and a great person."
"Sadio Mane has just been transferred from a big club to a big club, since he is leaving a big machine and a great coach in Liverpool for Bayern Munich."