Sadio Mane’s Ballon d’Or journey: from 23rd to a 2026 return

Sadio Mane has returned to the Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2026, three years after his last nomination. The Al-Nassr forward’s best finish remains second place in 2022, the highest position achieved by an African player since George Weah won the award in 1995.

The Senegal international was first nominated in 2017, when he finished 23rd. He then placed 22nd in 2018 and fourth in 2019, before missing out on the list in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Ballon d’Or was not awarded in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mane’s early nominations

In 2017, Mane finished 23rd in the voting won by Cristiano Ronaldo. Playing for Liverpool, he scored 14 goals in 32 matches during the calendar year. He was ahead of team-mate Philippe Coutinho, who shared 29th place, and became one of the most prominent Senegalese players to feature in the rankings.

Mane moved up one position the following year as Luka Modric claimed the prize. He had scored 20 goals in all competitions during the 2017-18 season, helping Liverpool reach the Champions League final. However, he was well behind Mohamed Salah, who finished sixth.

His strongest individual campaign at Liverpool came in 2019, when he was fourth behind Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo. He finished above Salah, who was fifth, after scoring 22 Premier League goals in the 2018-19 season. Mane shared the Golden Boot with Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

That year, he won the Champions League with Liverpool and helped Senegal reach the Africa Cup of Nations final. His failure to finish in the top three prompted controversy, particularly over the perceived lack of support from African voters.

Second place in 2022

Mane could not improve his position in 2020, despite Liverpool winning the Premier League, because France Football cancelled that year’s award. He was not nominated in 2021, when Lionel Messi won ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho.

In 2022, Mane finished runner-up to Karim Benzema. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal in February, scoring the decisive penalty in the final against Egypt, before adding the FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool.

He scored 23 goals in 51 matches in all competitions during the 2021-22 season, as Liverpool reached the Champions League final and finished second in the Premier League. His move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, and a difficult start in Germany, did not prevent recognition for the campaign.

Mane also won the inaugural Socrates Prize for his work on social and charitable projects in Senegal.

Three years outside the shortlist

After his first season at Bayern Munich and subsequent move to Al-Nassr, Mane was not nominated for the 2023 award, won by Messi. He also missed the 2024 shortlist, when Rodri triumphed, and the 2025 nominations, with Ousmane Dembele taking the prize.

He returns in 2026 after being named the Africa Cup of Nations’ MVP. Senegal won the tournament on the pitch before the CAF stripped them of the title. At 34, Mane is not considered among the leading favourites.