Liverpool winger Sadio Mane has admitted that it is his "dream" to win the Ballon d'Or.
The 27-year-old is the front-runner to be named Premier League player of the year for 2019-20, having inspired Liverpool into a 25-point lead before play was brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic.
No Premier League player has won the Ballon d'Or since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, though, and Mane is confident that he can be the man to end that drought for the prestigious award.
"I'm playing for the team, and the team is most important and I'm really happy to win trophies with my team but at the same time it has been my dream to win the Ballon d'Or," he told The Times.
"I wish to win it and I sacrifice everything possible to win it. I have been close and that gives me more motivation and the people never stop supporting me, telling me I can do it. I think we are close and I will win it one day."
Liberia's George Weah is the only African player to have won the Ballon d'Or before, claiming the award in 1995.
Barney Corkhill
