Liverpool star Sadio Mane says it is ‘unacceptable’ that Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy did not make the Ballon d’Or nomination list.
Last week, the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or was named with five Chelsea stars included.
Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount all made the nomination list. But there was no room for Mendy as PSG and Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was the only keeper to be nominated.
But, Mane believes his Senegal teammate, who became the first African goalie to win the Champions League this year, deserved to be recognised for his superb displays for Chelsea.
When asked about Mendy’s omission from the list, Mane told reporters after Senegal’s victory over Namibia at the weekend: ‘It is unacceptable. ‘I do not understand, these are things to deplore.’
Napoli central defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who also plays alongside Mendy with Senegal, believes the Chelsea shot-stopper should have been named in the Ballon d’Or list.
‘It’s a real shame that Edou isn’t one of them. He is the first African goalkeeper to win the Champions League,’ said Koulibaly.
‘We must continue to work and move forward. We have to do the double [the work] of some people to be well judged.
‘Edou is a very positive person. We talked about it together. He will continue to fight to be part of it. For me, he has a place among these 30 players.’
