Sadio Mané

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.

Sadio Mane made his professional debut for the French Club Metz in January 2012, as a substitute. During his first league season, he made nineteen appearances. In August 2012, he moved to the Austrian football club Red Bull Salzburg. His fee was around 4 million euros. On 31st October, he scored his first hat-trick for the club, and helped his team win in the third round of the Austrian Cup. He continued to perform excellently, leading his team to victories in the Austrian Bundesliga.

During the 2014-15 season, he transferred to Premier League side Southampton for 11.8 million pounds. He made his debut against Arsenal in which his team registered a 2–1 victory. He continued scoring well for the team, and throughout the season, he led them to multiple victories. He finished the season as the top scorer for the team. In May 2015, Mane scored three times in a 6–1 win over Aston Villa, thereby setting a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick.

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.

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.