Sadio Mané nominated for Ballon d’Or for fifth time

Sadio Mané has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the fifth time in his career after being included in the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 award.

The Al-Nassr forward is the only African player on this year’s shortlist alongside Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi.

Mané’s nomination also marks the first time a player from the Saudi Pro League has been included among the nominees, with Mexico international Julian Quinones of Al-Qadsiah also selected.

Mané, 34, has not appeared among the Ballon d’Or nominees since 2022, when he left Liverpool for Bayern Munich.

His latest nomination comes after another productive season at club level and strong performances with Senegal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Senegal forward scored 14 goals and provided nine assists in 36 appearances last season, helping Al-Nassr win the title. He has continued that form this season, registering two goals and three assists in seven matches.

Those performances have helped Mané maintain his place among the leading players despite playing outside European football and away from the Champions League.

Mané first appeared on the Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2017. He received 10 points, representing 0.36% of the vote, and finished 23rd in the final ranking. Cristiano Ronaldo won the award that year, ahead of Lionel Messi and Neymar.

A year later, Mané finished 22nd with three points after another impressive campaign with Liverpool. He was level with Edinson Cavani and Marcelo, while Luka Modric claimed the award ahead of Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann.

Mané’s strongest finish came in 2019, when he broke into the top five after collecting 347 points, equivalent to 12.32% of the vote.

He finished behind Lionel Messi, Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk and Ronaldo, narrowly missing out on a place on the podium.

His best Ballon d’Or result came in 2022. Mané finished second behind Karim Benzema after receiving 193 points.

Although he did not win the award, his runner-up finish represented the best performance by an African player since George Weah won the Ballon d’Or in 1995.

Mané now returns to the shortlist after a three-year absence, although breaking into the top 10 again would be a difficult task given the level of competition.

A place in the top 20 would nevertheless represent another significant achievement for the Senegal international, while simply being included among the 30 nominees underlines the level he has maintained at the age of 34.

His fifth nomination adds another chapter to a Ballon d’Or career that has already seen him finish second, fifth, 22nd and 23rd in previous editions.