Thierry Henry has explained why he thinks the Champions League final has an “extra spice” for one Liverpool player.
The Reds booked their place in the competition’s showpiece, which takes place at the Stade de France in Paris later this month, after they beat Villarreal 3-2 in Spain on Tuesday to complete a 5-2 aggregate victory.
The other semi-final, on Wednesday, then saw late drama as Real Madrid knocked out Manchester City to set up a showdown with Liverpool, for whom it will be a third Champions League final in five seasons. City were minutes away from reaching the final for the second year running, before a late brace from Rodrygo and an extra-time penalty from Karim Benzema won it for Madrid, 3-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate.
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And Henry has outlined why the final on May 28 could be a deciding factor in who wins the Ballon d’Or this year. Madrid talisman Benzema has 43 goals in as many appearances this season and is a likely favourite but Liverpool star Sadio Mane has also been tipped to be in the running.
Mane helped his country Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. And Henry believes if he helps the Reds win the Champions League and an unprecedented quadruple, it could elevate his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or
“If you think about the final and to make it even bigger, the two favourites for the Ballon d’Or are Sadio Mane and Karim Benzema,” the Arsenal legend told CBS Sports.
“That will add a little extra spice into it. I still believe that Benzema is ahead, but if Mane wins it with Liverpool and they do make the quadruple, that would be a pretty strong case.
“It would be great for Africa, but I’m still going with Benzema.”
