Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has lauded Sadio Mane’s “humility” and depicted the Liverpool forward as a standout amongst other players on the planet. Cisse first experienced Mane when he was named manager of the 2012 Olympic team and says the 26-year-old’s ongoing endeavors, which included assuming a noteworthy part in the Merseysiders’ run to the Champions League final have not transformed him. Talking in Moscow in front of Senegal’s World Cup opener against Poland on Tuesday, Cisse said:
“Sadio Mane is a unique player, he cannot be compared to any others, even if Senegal have had big names before Everything that has occurred to him in the past two or three years might have changed him but he’s exactly the same, he’s just as humble as when I met him seven years ago. His behaviour has not changed, his humility towards leaders, his team-mates. He can bring a lot to the team but the Senegal team is not built just around him, he has players that will help him.”
Asked if Mane can go on to become one of the world’s best, Cisse feels he is already in that exalted company. He added: “I don’t want to say he could become one of the best players, he already is one of the best players. He plays at an emblematic club in Liverpool, one of the best European clubs. He has shown that he is top notch. He is unpredictable, he’s difficult to stop, at any point he can make the difference with a dribble or a pass.”