Football

Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane

From Sedhiou in Senegal to the peak of world football. Sadio Mane's career is an incredible success story which is far from over.

Although a winger by trade, Mane is a prolific goalscorer and has been labeled a 'complete' player by his peers.

Devastating speed, sublime skill, clever tactical awareness and superb balance make him a tough opponent for any defender, while his defensive work ethic marks him out as a real team player.
Mane made his professional debut for French club Metz in 2012 before signing for Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in August of that year.
He made a name for himself at the Red Bull Arena, scoring 45 goals in 87 appearances, and Southampton came calling in the summer of 2014.

He again enjoyed success with the Saints, earning a big-money move to Liverpool in June 2016. The Reds paid £37million - the highest fee for an African player at the time.

Sadio Mane, Liverpool FC, Champions League final, trophy

Mane won the Premier League with Liverpool while also lifting the Champions League trophy, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He claimed the Austrian Bundesliga title and the Austrian Cup while at Salzburg.

For his work during the 2018/19 season, Mane finished fourth in the Ballon d'Or voting and placed fifth in The Best FIFA Men's Player award.

Following a six-year stint at Liverpool, Mane joined Bayern Munich for £35million ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Despite a poor first season in Bavaria, he was part of the squad that won the 2022/23 Bundesliga title.

In August 2023, Mane became the latest big name to quit European football for the Saudi Pro League after joining Al-Nassr for a reported £34million.

Mane has been a regular for the Senegal national side since 2012 and helped win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations as well as being runners-up in 2019.

The Southampton years

Mane joined Southampton from Salzburg in September 2014 while Ronald Koeman was at the helm. Saints paid £20million and he penned a four-year contract at St Mary's.

He immediately made an impact, registering an assist on his Premier League debut against Queens Park Rangers on September 27 while scoring his first goal the following month.
Mane bagged 10 top-flight goals in 30 outings that campaign. He saved his best until last, scoring the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history when finding the net three times in two minutes 56 seconds in a 6-1 win over Aston Villa on May 16, 2015.
His one blemish was being dropped for the home defeat to Liverpool in February after turning up late to the stadium.
The 2015/16 season saw Southampton play in the Europa League, with Mane scoring in the second leg of the third qualifying round clash against Vitesse Arnhem.
It was another solid season on the south coast, with 11 league goals and 15 in total.
He did blot his copybook when being dropped by Koeman for the second time for turning up late to a pre-match meeting in January 2016, while he received his first red card in English football against Stoke City in March.

Career with Liverpool

Mane was signed by Jurgen Klopp in June 2016 and, having scored 13 goals in 27 Premier League appearances during his first campaign, was named the club's Player of the Season in May 2017.
Already a player to get the Anfield faithful on their feet, his status grew when scoring the only goal of the game in the Merseyside Derby against Everton in December 2016.
The 2017/18 season saw Mane start to assert himself in Europe, with 10 goals in 13 Champions League outings.
In February 2018, he became only the second player to score an away hat-trick in the Champions League when bagging three against Porto.He also scored in the final but Liverpool went down 3-1 to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The forward scored 10 league goals that term but upped that number to 22 in 2018/19, sharing the Premier League Golden Boot Award with team-mate Mohamed Salah and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

He also played his part with four goals as the Reds went one better to win the Champions League. He penned a new long-term deal with the club in November 2018 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Sadio Mane, goal, Anfield, Liverpool FC
The 2019/20 campaign began with Mane named man of the match after scoring twice in the final of the 2019 UEFA Super Cup as Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties.
On December 2, he finished fourth in the Ballon d'Or before scoring twice and providing two assists in a 5-2 Merseyside Derby triumph two days' later.
Mane then set up the winning goal for Roberto Firmino as Liverpool beat Brazilian club Flamengo to win the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.
After finishing as runner-up two years in a row, Mane was finally named African Footballer of the Year in 2019. He became only the second Senegalese player to win the award after former Liverpool and Leeds forward El-Hadji Diouf.

The season ended with Mane lifting the Premier League trophy in the summer, after the Covid-19 pandemic had halted the campaign earlier in the year.

He scored 18 league goals and 22 in total during the truncated season while he was also named PFA Fans' Player of the Year.
He scored 16 goals in all competitions the following campaign, in what he described as the worst season of his career.
But he bounced back in the 2021/22 season scoring 23 goals in all competitions and helping Liverpool lift the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as finishing runners-up in the Premier League and the Champions League.
In October 2021, Mane became only the third African, after Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah, to join the Premier League 100 club after scoring the opening goal in Liverpool's 5-0 win away over Watford.

In June 2022, Liverpool announced they had agreed to sell Mane to Bayern Munich for £35.2million, after he stated his intentions to the leave the club at the end of the season.

Struggles at Bayern

There were big expectations placed on Mane's shoulders after his move from Liverpool in summer 2022.
But despite being part of the squad who won the 2022/23 Bundesliga, he had a poor first season in Bavaria. The Senegal international started only 18 times in the league and scored seven goals.
He also had a well-publicised bust-up with teammate Leroy Sane in April, which left Sane with a bloody lip. The 31-year-old was given a record fine for the club and suspended for one game.
Owing to poor form and his off-the-field misdemeanours the Reds great fell in the pecking order behind Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, with manager Thomas Tuchel admitting Mane had "fallen short of expectations."

In August 2023, he became the latest big name to quit European football for the Saudi Pro League as he joined Al-Nassr for a reported £34million.

"We want to thank Sadio Mane for the past season," Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said after the Bundesliga champions announced his departure.
"It certainly wasn't an easy year for him, getting injured just before the World Cup and being unable to take part in it with Senegal, who he'd previously led to a first triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualification.
"Because of his long lay-off, he also couldn't have the impact at FC Bayern that we all and he himself had hoped for. That's why we came to the joint decision that he'll begin a new chapter in his career and make a new start at a different club. We wish him all the best and lots of success for the challenges ahead at Al-Nassr."

International career with Senegal

Mane was part of the Senegal side that played in the 2012 London Olympic Games and has been a consistent performer for his country ever since. He has scored at least one goal for his nation every year since his debut.
Having initially been ruled out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations through injury, he returned to the squad, starting their final two group matches as Senegal crashed out at the group stage.

He scored twice in the 2017 AFCON Finals, but missed the penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out with Cameroon that saw Senegal eliminated from the tournament.

2018 World Cup,

Sadio Mane, Senegal, 2018

Mane scored the opening goal in a 2-2 draw against Japan at the 2018 World Cup but could not prevent his side from being knocked out in the group stage.
The Liverpool man was part of the Senegal team that finished runner-up to Algeria in the 2019 AFCON.

Having scored twice and missed a penalty in a 3-0 win against Kenya, he missed another penalty but scored again in a 1-0 win over Uganda in the last-16. Mane was named in the Team of the Tournament.

After missing from the spot earlier in the match, Mane stepped up to take the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shootout and win Senegal their first AFCON title in 2021.

The victory over Egypt marked Senegal's first ever major trophy, and their peformance warranted the win after they dominated much of the game.
His three goals and had two assists during the competition saw him named as player of the tournament.
Mane suffered an injury that ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup.

Personal life

Mane is a practising Muslim and can often be seen praying before the start of a match. He keeps his personal life to himself, preferring to shun the limelight away from the pitch.
He is not married and gives little away about his relationships, although he was rumored to be dating Rwandan businesswoman Kate Bashabe. He has been burgled twice, in 2017 and 2019, while playing for Liverpool.
Mane is known as one of the nicest men in soccer and, having donated towards the building of a new secondary school in his home village of Bambaly, he then paid for a hospital to be built.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he donated $56,000 to health authorities in Senegal.

He was seen cleaning the toilets at his local mosque just hours after scoring in a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in 2018, furthering his reputation as a down-to-earth guy despite his wealth.

Net worth

Mane will earn with £650,000 a week at Al Nassr. He stands to make around £136m if he stays at the club until the end of his contract in 2027.

He drives a Bentley but also has a modest car which he uses when trying to remain incognito while attending the mosque.

Mane's sponsorship deals

Mane's endorsements include financial services giant Western Union, Indonesia Tourism and New Balance.

Mane's boots

Mane wore the New Balance Furon V6+ during Liverpool's 2021/22 campaign.

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