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13 fun facts about Sadio Mane

Yash Thakur
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Everything you need to know about Senegal and Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane.

Sadio Mane is a professional footballer from Senegal who is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. He currently plays as a forward for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the Senegal national team. Mane is known for his incredible pace, technical ability, and his ability to score goals in crucial moments.

Sadio Mane was born on April 10, 1992, in Sedhiou, Senegal. He began playing football at a young age and joined the Generation Foot academy in Dakar, Senegal, where he honed his skills. In 2011, he signed his first professional contract with FC Metz in France, where he played for two seasons before moving to Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

Mane's performances at Red Bull Salzburg caught the eye of Premier League clubs, and in 2014, he signed for Southampton for a fee of £11.8 million. Mane was an instant hit at Southampton, scoring his first goal for the club on his debut against Arsenal. He went on to score 25 goals in 75 appearances for the club, earning himself a reputation as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League.

In 2016, Liverpool signed Mane for a fee of £34 million, making him the most expensive African player in history at the time. He quickly established himself as a key player in Jurgen Klopp's side and won multiple trophies with the Merseyside club during his time at the club.

Mane has been a key player for the Senegal national team since making his debut in 2012. He helped Senegal reach the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were beaten by Algeria. Mane was named in the team of the tournament for his strong performances.

Mane is known for his humility and his commitment to giving back to his community. He has donated millions of dollars to build schools, hospitals, and mosques in his hometown of Sedhiou, Senegal. In 2019, he was named African Footballer of the Year, and he was also named in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season for the 2018/19 season.

Here are 13 interesting facts about Mane that you absolutely need to know.

Editors' Picks

  1. Ran away to pursue his dream
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    Ran away to pursue his dream

    Mane's parents forbid him from playing football. In fact, his family wanted him to become a teacher, instead.

    In 2008, when Mane was 16, he ran away to Dakar, to try out for a team there. He was eventually found and brought home, but he made a deal with his family that the next year, there would be no more school and only "football, football, football," in Mane's words. The rest as they say is history.

  2. El Hadji Diouf as role model
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    El Hadji Diouf as role model

    The year 2002, when Senegal reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations final, with a team that included stars like Aliou Cisse, Khalilou Fadiga, and El Hadji Diouf, Mane was only 10 years old. That was the start of something special.

    "That was the era of the most epic Senegalese football," said Mane.

    His best friend, Luc, explained that Sadio had two idols, "At the time, Sadio liked Ronaldinho, but also El Hadji Diouf, who really spurred us on to play football."

  4. Start with Generation Foot
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    Start with Generation Foot

    In 2009, Mane was spotted by scouts while playing in M'Bour, a club that he helped attain promotion to the second division in the 2010–11 season, and later referred to Generation Foot.

    Thanks to Generation Foot's partnership with French side Metz - that sees one player move to the club each year - Mane swapped his homeland for France in 2011. By January of next year he made his professional debut for the club against Bastia in Ligue 2 and scored his first goal against Guingamp later on.

  5. Southampton's most expensive signing at the time
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    Southampton's most expensive signing at the time

    Mane’s impressive performances for Red Bull Salzburg attracted the attention of multiple clubs at the time. Southampton eventually signed Sadio Mane in the summer of 2014 for a transfer fee of €23 million.

    This made him the club’s most expensive signing at the time. However, this record broke when Southampton signed center-back Jannik Vestergaard from Borussia Monchengladbach. Vestergaard’s transfer fee was €25 million.

  7. Fastest hattrick in Premier League history
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    Fastest hattrick in Premier League history

    Sadio Mane registered himself into Premier League record books on 16th May 2015, when his Southampton side faced Aston Villa in which he scored three spectacular goals within the span of 2 minutes and 56 seconds. This hattrick still stands as the fastest hattrick in Premier League history.

  8. Most expensive African player of all time in 2016
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    Most expensive African player of all time in 2016

    Mane's exploits attracted further interest from multiple clubs in the Premier League, Liverpool were one of the clubs interested in the Senegalese forward.

    He was eventually signed by the Reds for £34 million in the summer of 2016. Mane’s transfer fee made him the most expensive African Footballer at the time; surpassing the £28 million Manchester City paid Swansea City for Wilfried Bony in 2015.

  9. Liverpool's second highest African goalscorer
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    Liverpool's second highest African goalscorer

    Sadio Mane won multiple trophies and broke multiple records during his time at Liverpool. By scoring an astonishing 111 goals during his time at the club he stood behind only Mo Salah in terms of goals scored among active players. His goals had helped his side win big games and win trophies.

  10. Birthday twins with Liverpool legend

    Mane shares his birthday with Liverpool legend Ian Callaghan who is the all-time leading appearance maker for Liverpool. Callaghan has made 857 appearances for Liverpool. While Mane couldn't match that number, he had proven to be an integral part of the modern Liverpool side.

  12. Third Senegalese for Liverpool
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    Third Senegalese for Liverpool

    Sadio Mane became the third player from Senegal to join Liverpool when he signed for the club in 2016. The other two Senegal players who played for Liverpool were 2002 World Cup stars El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao.

  13. Granted the highest order in Senegal

    After helping his country win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2021, Mane was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion, highest order of Senegal, by President of Senegal, Macky Sall.

  14. Spat with Sane
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    Spat with Sane

    Although Mane is known for his calm nature on and off-the-field, he has been the centre of controversy recently at Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old was involved in a dressing room spat against German forward, Leroy Sane. He was suspended by Bayern Munich and fined as well.

  15. Subject to burglary twice

    Sadio Mane’s house in Liverpool has been subject to burglary on two separate occasions. The first instance was in November, 2017 when Liverpool were playing a Champions League match against Maribor.

    The second instance happened when Liverpool were playing a Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Nobody was in his house at the time and the items stolen included car keys, watches and mobile phones.

  17. Heart for charity

    Mane is known for his charitable nature and he gives back in spades. With no hospital in the village, Mane’s father was unable to get the medical attention he needed to save his life. In 2021, Mane built the first hospital in Bambali. Two years after he helped build a new school in his hometown.

    He also sent 300 Liverpool shirts back to his village when the side reached the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, and flew 50 Senegal fans to Cameroon for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in 2022.