Lionel Messi says it’s a shame that Liverpool FC forward Sadio Mane only finished in fourth place in the Ballon d’Or standings, Eurasia Diary reports citing The Sport Review.

The FC Barcelona forward won the personal accolade for a record sixth time to move one ahead of his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Liverpool FC centre-half Virgil van Dijk provided Messi with his biggest competition for the Ballon d’Or trophy after his impressive displays.

The Champions League holders had five players who finished in the top seven, after Mane, Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker ended up behind Van Dijk.

Messi nominated Mane for the Ballon d’Or when the contenders were announced earlier this year after the Senegal international’s performances last term.

The 27-year-old netted 22 times in 34 Premier League games as well as finding the net four times in 13 outings in the Champions League.

Messi admitted that his favourite player last season was Mane.

“It’s a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place,” Messi told Canal+, as quoted by Metro.

“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.

“Mane achieved a great year that was exceptional for the entire Liverpool team. That’s why I chose him. I repeat, there were a lot of very great players this year, so the choice was difficult.”

Mane moved to Liverpool FC in a £27m deal from Southampton in 2016 following Jurgen Klopp’s appointment back in October 2015.

The Liverpool FC number 10 has been a key player for the Merseyside outfit, scoring 72 times in 144 games in all competitions.

Mane was a key part of Liverpool FC’s Champions League success last term after the Reds were 2-0 winners against Tottenham Hotspur in the final.