Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane are the two favourites to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
Both players are set to meet in the UEFA Champions League final at the end of May after Real Madrid and Liverpool secured their place at the showpiece this week.
Jurgen Klopp’s side overcame a scare against Villarreal to progress to the final, while Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid pulled off a dramatic comeback to beat Man City in the semis.
Benzema scored yet another important goal for Madrid in the Champions League, netting the winning goal in extra time from the penalty spot, only a week after his Panenka past Ederson.
The 34-year-old is currently on 43 goals in all competitions this campaign, including 15 in the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Mane has excelled for Liverpool and Senegal of late, contributing with key goals for club and country.
The winger scored the decisive penalty to win the Africa Cup of Nations for Senegal in February, and netted another winning penalty to secure Senegal’s place in the 2022 World Cup a month later.
With the quadruple still on for Liverpool, Henry believes Mane could make a ‘strong case’ to win the Ballon d’Or, but the Premier League legend feels Benzema is ‘ahead’ in the race to win the award.
‘If you think about the [Champions League] final and to make it even bigger, the two favourites for the Ballon d’Or are Mane and Benzema,’ Henry told CBS Sports.
‘So that will add a little extra spice into it. ‘I still believe that Benzema is ahead, but if Mane wins it with Liverpool and they do make the quadruple, that would be a pretty strong case.
‘It would be great for Africa, but I’m still going with Benzema.’
