Barcelona star Lionel Messi says Liverpool striker Sadio Mane deserves greater recognition from his peers.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp publicly backed Virgil van Dijk to take home the Ballon d'Or, an opinion that, according to France Football, "upset" Sadio Mane.

But Messi, who won the award for a sixth-time, believed Mane was Liverpool's standout performer from the 2018/19 campaign.

"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.

"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."