Sadio Mane is now a Bayern Munich player. And it’s safe to say the Senegal international has come a long way since he ran away from home as a teenager to pursue a career in the sport he loves.
For Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn, “There are very few players like him in the world.” “We’re sure that Sadio Mané will delight our fans in the coming years with his spectacular style of play. He’s ambitious and eager to win more titles. This package is very strong.”
And after the Senegal forward’s move to the Bundesliga giants, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp described Sadio Mané as a “modern-day icon” of the English club.
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“It’s a big moment — there is no point in anyone trying to pretend otherwise.” Klopp said. “One of Liverpool’s greatest ever players is leaving. And we must acknowledge how significant this is.”
The 30-year-old Mané has signed a contract with Bayern through June 2025 in a deal that could end up being worth 41 million euros ($42.9 million) depending on future achievements at the Bavarian powerhouse.
“He leaves with our gratitude and our love.” the Liverpool manager said of Mané.
“He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed. And, yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football.
“But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have. The goals he scored, the trophies he won; a legend, for sure, but also a modern-day Liverpool icon.”
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Mané just completed what was arguably the best season of his career, converting the clinching penalty in a shootout to win the African Cup of Nations for Senegal, helping his country qualify for the World Cup, and starring for Liverpool in a campaign where the club nearly achieved an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies.
He won every major honor with Liverpool — the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2019, the Premier League in 2020 and both the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022. He has also scored 31 goals in 89 appearances for Senegal and was named African Footballer of the Year in 2019.
Liverpool has already signed a replacement for Mané in Darwin Núñez, the Uruguay striker who has joined from Benfica.