Jurgen Klopp opinion that upset Mane and prompted Lionel Messi to speak out
Amid all the speculation surrounding Sadio Mane's Bayern Munich future after his violent bust-up with Leroy Sane, rumours are starting to circulate that a return to Liverpool could be on the cards.
Mane spent six illustrious years at Anfield and won all of the club game's biggest honours, including a Champions League and Liverpool's first league title in 30 years. For that reason alone, the Senegal international is heralded as a legend in the red half of Merseyside, but still, a reunion seems unlikely.
The forward's relationship with Jurgen Klopp hasn't always been without some friction. The Liverpool manager was once blamed for Mane's departure and was accused of showing the former Southampton star a "lack of love" by former Red and fellow Senegal star Salif Diao.
However, the more surprising turning point in their relationship actually stemmed from the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
Though it was won by Lionel Messi, Klopp publicly backed the idea of Virgil van Dijk taking home the award, over Mane who was also nominated for the gong.
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The Liverpool boss claimed: "Things like this are decisions made by journalists. I see it slightly different and a lot of people see it slightly different but that’s absolutely no problem.
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Sadio Mane and Jurgen Klopp's relationship was called into question at times (NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX)" Lionel Messi, I've said probably 500,000 times in my life already, is probably the best player I saw in my lifetime. Very early in my life, I saw Franz Beckenbauer and Diego Maradona but I've seen Lionel Messi more.
"I don’t know how the others would have played nowadays – probably exceptional – but Lionel Messi is here now and he has won it six times and Cristiano [Ronaldo] five times but last season I cannot remember a more impressive season from a defender ever. Honestly. So it would have been right if Virg won it."
According to France Football, Klopp's comments 'upset' Mane, who clearly felt scorned by the fact his manager had opted to heap praise on his teammate but not him.
A flurry of reports touting Mane with an Anfield exit soon followed and a number of European giants were put on red alert.
Though Mane may have been left sore over the comments from Klopp, he'll have surely been heartened by those who came to his defence and issued a public vote of confidence in the forward.
None other than Messi himself, who admitted he'd have liked to have seen Mane given more credit than just a fourth-placed finish.
Lionel Messi praised Sadio Mane in the aftermath of winning the 2019 Ballon d'Or (AFP via Getty Images)"It's a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place," Messi told Canal+ after taking home the top prize ahead of Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"But I think there have been a lot of great players this year. That's why it was difficult to choose a particular player. But I chose Sadio Mane because he's a player that I like.
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"Mane achieved a great year that was exceptional for the entire Liverpool team. That's why I chose him."
Klopp has spoken at length over the way Mane left Liverpool and despite the rumoured ill-feeling between the pair after the German's Ballon d'Or related remarks, he insists the pair parted ways in good faith three years on from the controversy.
"The way it went was great. We knew that he would do something different without breaking up badly. That must be possible in life.
"That's exactly what happened. Are we missing him? Yes! But I'm happy too. That he's where he wanted to be. We'll solve our problems here. Sadio is an outstanding player. Everyone in Munich saw that too. He's absolutely world-class. Everything will be fine."
It is unclear if Mane still bears the scars of Klopp's ill-advised comments, but an Anfield reunion so soon after his departure seems unlikely.
Even if Bayern were to sanction a sale, Liverpool's new approach of landing younger, attacking talent like Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo suggests Klopp is well-aware Mane is a figure of the past, not the future.
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