From dust to riches: Meet Sadio Mane, the poor boy from Senegal who is now a world star

Sadio Mane

From wearing torn shorts in the streets of Bambali to becoming elite Premier League footballer. Sadio Mane ’s meteoric rise to the top is nothing short of an inspiration. With dogged determination and hard work, the boy from Bambali has dazzled both on the international stage and in club football thus far.

Let’s have a walk through the life of this great African player;

Background of Sadio Mane

From some 400km from the country’s capital Dakar a small town in the Sedhuoi region called Bambali, Sadio Mane was born to Satou Toure. Little did he know about his dad because he passed on when he was just 7 years old. Sadio Mane never had the chance to go to school.

Sadio Mane

Life of in Europe (Mertz)

Mertz signed Sadio from Dakar and asked a reporter to take a picture of him so he could send it to his mum the first day he reached the club. Things didn’t go too well for Mane’s Mertz as they were relegated from the French’s second-tier league. He ended up with 2 goals in 22 appearances for the French side.

Red Bull Salzburg

Despite relegation, Mane was outstanding enough to get signed by another club. On 31st August 2012, Sadio Mane joined Austrian Bundesliga outfit Red Bull Salzburg for an undisclosed fee, winning the double in his first season at the club in the first season. He scored 45 goals in 87 appearances for the Austrian side which was enough to get him snapped by the English side Southampton.

Sadio Mane At Southampton

Southampton signs Sadio Mane

Sadio’s exploits caught the eye of Southampton, who signed him for a club-record fee of 11m in 2014 under then manager Ronald Koeman currently in charge at FC Barcelona. Although Sadio never won a trophy with the saints, his influence and contribution to the club were never in question. The nadir came in 2016 against Aston Villa when he broke Robbie fowler’s 21-year-old hat trick record by scoring a hat trick of his own in 2 mins 56 seconds bettering the former’s record of 4mins 33 seconds. He ended his Saints career with 27 goals in 67 appearances.

Liverpool comes calling for Sadio Mane

Mane’s incredible journey was only getting started. in the summer of 2016, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp beat off stiff competition from rival clubs to sign Mane for £34 million making him the first player to sign for the German manager in what will be become an incredible chapter in his career.

Sadio Mane In Liverpool

The current reds number 10 hit the ground running on his debut scoring against Arsenal in a 2-1 win. Mane was announced in the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 13 league goals. Mane was was announced in the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 13 league goals although he missed the later part of the season due to an injury

His current haul of 98 premier league goals puts him amongst some of the best African players past and current to play in the premier league. Helping Liverpool broke their 31-year drought to win the premier league stand among Mane’s trophy-laden career at the club, not to talk about successful winning both the UEFA champion league, UEFA super cup and the club world cup. Individual honors aplenty as well.

From being crowned premier league golden boot winner in the 2018/2019 season after notching 22 goals in 36 league appearances.