Edouard Mendy says that he hopes Sadio Mane will win the Champions League with Liverpool this weekend.
Speaking to Foot Mercato, the £22m man said that he will be cheering on his international teammate against Real Madrid.
“I want Sadio to win the Champions League of course,” said Mendy. “He is having an exceptional season, he is in the race for the Ballon d’Or and the Champions League will mark a turning point. He plays against his biggest competitor. Whoever wins will score a lot of points.”
So, the Chelsea player will be supporting Mane as opposed to Liverpool as a whole, but the end result is still the same!
Reds looking for individual honours
As Mendy mentions, the result of Saturday’s final could have a big bearing on who wins this season’s Ballon d’Or.
If Liverpool lift the trophy in Paris, Mane may well believe he has as good-a-chance as anyone of being crowned the best player in the world.
His collection of trophies won’t be matched by anyone in Europe should The Reds collect the big one against Madrid.
The 30-year-old’s performances over the second-half of the season have been quite brilliant. Should he play a decisive role at the weekend, he might be seen as the new favourite for the award.
Mohamed Salah is another who may have his eyes on the prestigious gong. Salah’s form has curved off pretty dramatically in the second-half of the season. Should he make a telling contribution here though, he could still be in with a shout.
Benzema still the man to beat
If Madrid win the cup though, there’s only really one option. That would be the goal-scorer supreme Karim Benzema.
The Frenchman has been the catalyst for Real’s astonishing comeback’s in this season’s competition.
After top-scoring in La Liga, he has managed 44 goals in 45 games this season. Hopefully he doesn’t add to that on Saturday, but he may not have to – if Carlo Ancelotti’s men get the better of Liverpool, Benzema will be the symbol of that success.
Few could argue that Mane, Salah or any other Liverpool player would deserve it if that ends up being the case.
Extra motivation then, for The Reds. Anything that helps them get over the line in the French capital is absolutely welcome.