If Sadio Mane were a famous singer instead of an outstanding winger, he would have his own Las Vegas residence by now. How great is his status.
Mane is one of the greatest African footballers to play the game. Even at the age of 34, and now playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, his approach to football hasn’t changed one bit. He still applies that youthful exuberance – which has defined his career – to every performance.
It’s been almost 20 years since 15-year-old Mané left his home village of Bambali in Senegal to pursue his dreams by joining Generation Foot in the country’s capital, Dakar. Nothing was promised and the road ahead will be long and challenging.
But he succeeded. From there he moved to Metz in France and joined their main team from their B team. Red Bull Austria saw his talent and brought Mane to Austria in 2012, and he spent three seasons there delighting the fans. He played 87 games, scored 45 goals and assisted his teammates 32 times, as they won consecutive league titles and were two-time Austrian Cup winners.
Those numbers and performances were being monitored by Southampton, who were happy to bring the magic of Mane to England in 2014. His hat-trick against Aston Villa in May 2015 was scored in two minutes and 56 seconds. To this day it remains the fastest ever hat-trick in Premier League history – one of the many highlights from his Saints showreel that ultimately convinced Jurgen Klopp to sign him.
Klopp famously rejected the opportunity to bring Mane to Borussia Dortmund during his tenure. When Liverpool signed the Senegalese from Southampton for £34 million ($45.8m) in the summer of 2016 the German manager made sure not to make the same mistake twice.
At that time that fee was a subject of ridicule by some people. Many believed that Liverpool had overspent. But doubters would soon eat their words as defenders saw Mane move in and out and then come back to finish home or set up team-mates.
It worked for Mane at Liverpool and then some. Mane tore it up and wrote not just a chapter of his career but an entirely new book. He was part of one of the best attacking trios ever in the Premier League and Champions League, alongside Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
In 269 Liverpool games, Mane scored 120 goals, provided 46 assists and won six trophies in six years. He was an integral part of Klopp’s winning machine as Liverpool reached three Champions League finals, winning one against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid in 2019.
When he signed for Liverpool, Mane played on the right side. But when Salah arrived at the club, Klopp switched Mane to the left side. Whether he was happy with the decision or not, he kept on working and scoring great goals and assists.
Being a right or left sided player doesn’t matter when you are as good as Mane. No matter where he was on the pitch, he delivered the same tireless and thrilling performance. But officiating in an era when it came against Manchester City has at times proved a thankless task for Liverpool, who might have had more trophies to show for had it not been for Pep Guardiola’s side.
After losing to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, a final in Kiev in which Mane scored, Liverpool bounced back to win the Champions League in 2019. This came just days after missing out on the Premier League title to City by one point, with Liverpool having lost just once in the league that season, accumulating 97 points.
He took the joy of beating Spurs in the final and the pain of falling short in the title race by a fine margin and channeled it into one performance after another. They ran away with the Premier League title in 2019–20, ending a 30-year wait for Liverpool fans. Mane was as important to the proceedings as ever. He scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 35 league games.
Shortly after losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris in 2022, a season in which Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and missed out on relegation to the Premier League on the final day for City, it was announced that Mane would be leaving the club.
After six special campaigns, he was bound for Bavaria and a new challenge with Bayern Munich. But, as they won the German Cup as well as the Bundesliga title at the first attempt on a dramatic final day, it was far from an ideal move. A return of 12 goals and six assists in 38 games in all competitions highlighted his struggles at Bayern.
After a challenging season, Mané moved to Al-Nassr, bidding farewell to the European football scene that he had so impressed and entertained since joining Metz in 2011.
But he left behind a lot of memories. That touch and sparkle led to Liverpool winning the trophy against Bayern at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League quarter-finals in at least that season. Everything about the goal reflected an innate talent at work, a master of his craft who could produce a decisive moment out of thin air, as he did when bringing down Virgil van Dijk’s probing pass and turn it into a shining part of Liverpool folklore.
At Al-Nassr he has scored 51 times in three seasons, playing alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Félix and Kingsley Coman.
Where Sadio Mane took his shots
average
shot distance
12.8 yards
Saudi Pro League, 2025–26, data via Opta
Mane is not just a great footballer. He has always ensured that the people of Bambali also enjoy the wealth derived from his successful career. He has funded projects such as building a hospital, school and football pitch in his home.
Throughout Senegal he is revered as a two-time champion of Africa and the country’s all-time top scorer with 54 goals in 125 matches. He also ranks as the producer with the second most appearances after Idrissa Gueye. And in his final appearance at the World Cup, Mane, a certified superstar, will be hoping to add even more goals to his tally.
And we will all enjoy watching him in his second World Cup.
