Sadio Mane could not hide his delight at seeing his name among the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. The Al-Nassr and Senegal star was quick to add, though, that plenty of other players had earned a spot on the list with standout performances, especially from the Saudi Roshn League.
France Football unveiled the 30-man shortlist on Tuesday 8 September, and two Roshn League players made the cut: Mane, rewarded for his part in Al-Nassr's title triumph, and Julian Quinones, the league's top scorer and Al-Qadsiah's standout last season.
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Speaking through the Thmanyah platform, Mane described the moment he learned of his nomination. "The feeling is unbelievable! I would like to say thank you to the fans, and of course to the journalists."
Others could easily have joined him, and he knows it. "I know there are many players who could have been on the list, certainly, especially from the Saudi Roshn League, but these are the votes, so I would like to say thank you once again."
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Simply making the shortlist won't satisfy the Senegalese winger. He wants more. "I will strive to keep moving forward, and of course to become better and better."
Those words came after his first outing since the announcement, a game in which he steered Al-Nassr to a 2-1 win over Abha. Mane called it a hugely important victory, coming as it did after a 2-1 defeat to Al-Ittihad in the previous round, the team's first loss of the season.
The win over Abha was exactly the response Al-Nassr needed, Mane explained, and taking the three points mattered above all else. He owned up to a few errors in the second half, losing possession and misplacing passes.
Fatigue, high temperatures and a packed fixture list, he pointed out, dented the players' concentration at times. Yet the team had the quality to do better, and the work would go on to iron out those mistakes in the games ahead.