Mane deserves this Ballon d'Or - Former Manchester City midfielder Toure on Bayern Munich star

Ivory Coast and Manchester City legend Yaya Toure is optimistic new Bayern Munich signing Sadio Mane will win the Ballon d'Or.

The 30-year-old enjoyed a good 2021/22 season with English side Liverpool and Senegal.

At club level, the Lion of Teranga scored 21 goals in the 48 matches played across all competitions. During that period, the Reds won the League and FA Cups, and went on to reach the Champions League final. The team also finished second in the Premier League race won by the Citizens.

Mane, also, scored vital goals to help his country win their maiden Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophy and helped them qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It is for the aforementioned reasons the former Elephant believes Mane should win the coveted individual award, despite stiff competition from Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

"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.

"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."

Senegal made it to their third World Cup in history and will represent the continent alongside Cameroon, Tunisia, Ghana and Morocco. Toure has explained why Senegal have what it takes to perform well.

"And then there is the World Cup. He [Mane] knows he will be eagerly awaited. We see that Senegal has a fairly strong workforce with many players playing in big teams in Europe," Toure continued.

"We see Kalidou Koulibaly in Naples, an already established player, sought after by all the big clubs, who is among the best in the world. There is Gana Gueye who plays in Paris [Saint-Germain].

"It's a bit like the Ivory Coast of the time when we played the [Afcon] and the World Cup. There is also Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who won the Champions League… Next to him, Sadio Mane has all these interesting players."