The Senegalese international netted twice as Liverpool dumped Bayern Munich out of the Champions League last night with a 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena.
Mane is now proving just as, if not more valuable, than attacking counterparts Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
And back in 2014, coach Mady Toure, who worked with the player at his ‘Generation Foot academy’ in Senegal, told the media he truly believed Mane had the ability to be as good as Lionel Messi or Neymar.
“I’ve known him since he was a kid so to see him doing so well is fantastic,” Toure told the Guardian shortly after the player’s move to Southampton five years ago.
“Today we talk about Messi and Neymar but honestly I don’t think these players are as good as Sadio Mane.
“But I don’t think his development is finished yet.
“Sadio still has a long way to go before reaching his peak.
“Now he needs a really good coach to take him to the new level because his possibilities are enormous.”
Mane’s impressive performance last night wasn’t the only talking point against Bayern due to:
Mane proved his worth on the biggest stage last night, scoring twice against Bayern stopper Manuel Neuer.
And the 26-year-old’s first goal of the evening, a cheeky dink into an empty goal after taking the ball around the German stopper, has been praised.
“Sadio Mane’s first goal was truly special. The first touch is everything,” Chris Sutton told the Daily Mail.
“You can see Mane pointing to where he wants the pass and Virgil van Dijk hit a lovely ball. Mane knows what he wants to do but it is another thing to be able to execute it.
“He makes a fool out of Manuel Neuer. Mane still had a lot to do though.
“There were defenders to beat. A lot of players would have just lashed it but he had the awareness to take his time and dink it into the net. It was such a difficult finish.
“Everyone knows about how quick Mane is but this goal showed is so much more than just raw pace.
“He scores all type of goals and proves Liverpool do not just have to rely on Mo Salah.”
Messi also showed his best last night, netting a hat-trick against Lyon at the Nou Camp.
The Argentinian also grabbed an assist during the 5-1 win.
Messi’s treble came just 24 hours after Cristiano Ronaldo also scored three against Atletico Madrid.