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‘Mane more deserving of Ballon d’Or than Messi’ – Ba claims vote is weighted in Barcelona star’s favour

The 2019 Ballon d’Or vote was always unfairly weighted towards Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, says Demba Ba, with the former Chelsea striker saying his fellow Sengalese Sadio Mane was a more deserving winner.

A star turn on Liverpool’s books enjoyed a memorable 2018-19 campaign which delivered a Champions League crown and Premier League Golden Boot.

Mane was, however, to only finish fourth in the battle for a prestigious Golden Ball.

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Ba believes his countryman would have been overlooked even if his statistics had been swapped with Messi, with top individual honours having become more of a popularity contest than a reflection of form.