Sadio Mane is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Premier League club Liverpool and the Senegal national team. Born in Sedhiou, Senegal, he grew up in an impoverished family in the small village of Bambali. He was inspired to pursue a career in football after he saw his country’s team perform at their peak at the 2002 World Cup.
In a recent Interview, Sadio Mane said -“ Since I was two or three years old, I remember always being with the ball. I would see kids playing on the street, and would join them.
“That is how I started – just on the roads. When I got older, I would go to watch games, especially when the national team played. I wanted to see my heroes and imagine myself as them.
“There was big excitement in the country in 2002 during the World Cup [Senegal got to the quarter-finals in their first appearance at the showpiece, famously beating holders France in the opening match], but it was already only football for me before that.
Club-Career
He later made his debut for the French club Metz. Eventually, he joined the Red Bull Salzburg, an Austrian football club. He led them to win the Austrian Bundesliga as well as the Austrian Cup. He was later signed by Southampton, where he set a record the next year by scoring the fastest hat-trick. In 2016, he transferred to Liverpool for around 34 million euros. This made him the most expensive African player of that time. Mane also played for the Senegalese national team, helping them reach the quarter finals in the 2012 Olympic tournament. He played for the national team at the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as well.
He joined the Liverpool Football Club in June 2016, for a transfer fee of 34 million pounds. This fee made him the most expensive African player of that time. He made his Premier League debut in August, scoring the 4th goal to gain a 4-3 victory against Arsenal. Because of his fantastic performance in the season, he was named Liverpool Player of the Season on 9th May 2017. In August 2017, he scored Liverpool’s first goal of the season against Watford in a 3-3 draw. He performed well in the ensuing matches as well and was named Premier League Player of the Month for August 2017.
International Career
Sadio Mane began his international career as a part of the Senegal team at the 2012 Olympic tournament. He played quite well, and led the team to the quarter finals, where they were eventually eliminated by Mexico. He next played at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, and later at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. In the latter, he led his team to the quarterfinals, where they registered a goalless draw against Cameroon. He missed in the penalty shootout, and as a result, his team was eliminated from the tournament.
Personal Life
Sadio Mane was born on 10th April 1992 in Sedhiou Senegal. He grew up in a small village in Bambali, located in the south of Senegal. He lived with his uncle’s family as his parents had lots of children already and could not provide financially for him. He endured an impoverished childhood but harbored big dreams for the future.He was inspired to pursue a career in football after he saw his country’s national team perform at their best the 2002 World Cup.He is a devout Muslim.
The Senegalese forward Sadio Mane has been an prolific performer for the UEFA Champions League finalists this season and he will surely be looking to continue his domination when he takes the field for his country in the FIFA World Cup 2018.