Mane joined Liverpool in 2016, with Salah heading to Anfield a year later. They regularly played on either wing until Mane departed for Bayern Munich in 2022, having scored 120 goals during his six-year spell in Merseyside.

The relationship between the two forwards was brought into question following Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Burnley in 2019, during which Mane reacted furiously as Salah opted to shoot instead of square the ball to the now-Al Nassr forward. Mane was substituted shortly after the incident and appeared to be calmed down by players and staff on the bench.

“Yes, there was tension with Sadio,” Salah said in an interview with France Football, via L’Equipe. “Mind you, we were professional until the end, I don’t think it affected the team. It’s human to want more, I understand that, he’s a competitor. Off the pitch, we weren’t very close, but we always respected each other.”

The pairing of Salah and Mane was Liverpool’s main source of goals throughout the five years they played with one another, often appearing in a front three alongside Roberto Firmino. Salah scored 19 goals and assisted 10 when Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020, while Mane scored 18 and assisted seven.

Salah pointed to his assist record to dismiss suggestions he acted selfishly in the Liverpool frontline.

“People can think what they want, it’s their right,” Salah said. “But I invite everyone to note that the person who provided Mané with the most assists is me (18). We can look at the facts, but it’s obviously easier to throw out phrases like that; it makes the headlines, I know how it works.

“As long as it remains within the limits of respect, that’s fine with me. But that doesn’t mean that this opinion is true. At the end of the day, I know what I did, and my conscience is clear.”

Suggestions of tensions between Salah (Egypt) and Mane (Senegal) also stemmed from the fact they played for rival African nations. The most notable of their international clashes against one another came in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final, in which Mane’s Senegal triumphed 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw.

Salah said during the 2017-18 season he and Mane were “very close,” adding “we’re friends, we talk a lot to each other.”

Salah set a new record for goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season when he reached 45 (27 goals, 18 assists) as he set up Luis Diaz to score against West Ham in April.

He added a further goal to his tally during Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, as his side were crowned Premier League champions for the second time in six seasons.

Liverpool, who secured the Premier League title on April 27, are next in action against Arsenal on Sunday.

The Teranga Lions were heading for a goalless draw away against Malawi before former Liverpool forward Mane, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, struck in the 96th minute in Lilongwe.

Senegal move on to 10 points in Group L alongside Burkina Faso and have joined their fellow West Africans in booking a place at the 2025 Nations Cup in Morocco.

The 2021 Afcon winners progressed despite parting company with long-serving coach Aliou Cisse earlier this month.

There were surprises elsewhere on Tuesday as reigning continental champions Ivory Coast fell to a shock 1-0 loss away against Sierra Leone while Ghana are on the brink of elimination after defeat by Sudan.

The Black Stars remain third in Group F with just two points from four games, and qualification is now out of their hands.

The West Africans must now win their remaining games against Angola and Niger next month and hope that Sudan, who have seven points, lose both of theirs.

The final two rounds of qualifiers will be held next month while the 2025 Nations Cup is scheduled to begin on 21 December next year, with the final on 18 January 2026.​​​​​​​

Egypt through without Salah

Record seven-time continental champions Egypt made it four wins from four in Group C despite the absence of captain Mohamed Salah, who was released early from international duty.

The Pharaohs triumphed 1-0 against Mauritania as Ibrahim Adel struck in the 85th minute in Nouakchott.

DR Congo also sealed their spot at the finals as Meschack Elia scored twice late on to give them a 2-0 away win in Tanzania.

The Leopards, who finished fourth at the 2023 finals earlier this year, have won all four games in Group H without conceding.

Uganda moved to the brink of a place at the finals after a 2-0 win in South Sudan, but will have to wait until next month for confirmation after Congo held South Africa to a 1-1 draw in Brazzaville elsewhere in Group K.

Five-time Afcon winners Cameroon and Algeria picked up their tickets for the 24-team tournament in North Africa with victories on Monday.

Boris Enow gave Cameroon a 1-0 win over Kenya in neutral Kampala while an 18th-minute penalty from Remy Bensebaini was enough for Algeria to triumph 1-0 against Togo in Lome.

Ghana on brink of elimination

Angola extended their perfect start in Group F as Zine’s first-minute effort gave the Palancas Negras a 1-0 victory away against Niger in neutral Casablanca.

However, Ghana are in danger of failing to qualify for the Nations Cup for the first time since 2004 after slumping to a 2-0 away defeat against Sudan.

Fielding a strong team, captained by West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and including Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth, the Black Stars were undone by two quick second-half goals.

Sudan forward Ahmed Al-Tash bundled the ball over the line for their first in the 62nd minute after Saif Teiri’s shot rebounded off the post.

Mohamed Abdelrahman doubled the lead just three minutes later, running onto a through ball from Ahmed Yousif and slotting past Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi.

The match was played in the Libyan city of Benghazi as Sudan cannot play at home because of the civil war in the country.

Sudan, coached by former Ghana boss Kwesi Appiah, last played at the Nations Cup during the 2021 edition in Cameroon.

Afcon 2025 qualified teams

Morocco (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Senegal

The wedding was said to have been attended by friends, family, former players and current members of the Senegal national team.

The former Liverpool star also returned home to rejoin his teammates as the African champions launch their training camp ahead of AFCON 2023.

Earlier this month, the 31-year-old had inaugurated a stadium he built in his hometown of Bambali before holding his marriage ceremony ahead of the trip to Ivory Coast.

In photos shared on social media, Tamba was spotted in a colourful wedding dress with a huge smile on her face for the big day. Mane wore a traditional white Arabia outfit.

Mane will next join his teammates for Senegal’s pre-AFCON friendly against Niger before the team leaves for Ivory Coast to begin the defence of their title.

The Lions of Teranga have been drawn in Group C alongside five-time champions, Cameroon, as well as Guinea and the Gambia, as reported by Sporting News.

The Final Draw will take place at the breathtaking, brand-new Parc des Expositions venue in Abidjan on Thursday 12 October, as the build-up to the 34^th edition of the biggest event on African soil reaches fever pitch.

The draw will start at 19h00 local time/GMT (21h00 CAT, 22h00 Cairo) and will be live on CAF TV (YouTube).

The Final Draw will be beamed in over 50 countries, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to the event on CAF’s Official YouTube channel, as well as across CAF’s Global TV partners.  

Ivorian icon Drogba, Cote d’Ivoire’s all-time top goal scorer with 65 goals in 105 internationals – including the country’s first-ever goal in the FIFA World Cup in 2006 – is the popular hometown hero amongst the stellar Draw Assistants. Drogba scored 11 goals in 24 AFCON games for the Elephants and helped Cote d’Ivoire to two AFCON cup finals in 2006 and 2012.

His former Chelsea teammate Mikel, a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Nigeria and also a three-time AFCON bronze medallist with the Super Eagles, is another big name who will grace the occasion.

The irrepressible Sadio Mane, who scored the winning penalty as Senegal won their first TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations title in Cameroon in 2021, is a revered two-time CAF African Player of the Year who will grace the Final Draw stage in Abidjan. Mane is Senegal’s all-time leading scorer with 38 international goals and has scored eight goals in 18 AFCON games for the Teranga Lions.

Paris Saint Germain right back Hakimi, who was part of the Morocco team that made a historic run to the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final, adds North African star quality to the list of Draw Assistants.

Delegations and the coaches from each of the 24 participating nations, CAF legends, international media, CAF commercial partners, showbiz celebrities and African leaders will be in attendance for the much-anticipated Final Draw, which will well and truly kick-start the final stretch to what is shaping up to the best AFCON ever. 

The Qualified Nations for the Final Draw: 

Cote d’Ivoire (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo DR, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia

The 31-year-old scored 12 goals in 38 games for Bayern in an underwhelming season despite initially impressing.

The Senegal player was also involved in a physical altercation with Leroy Sane in the Manchester City dressing room after losing a Champions League game.

Reports suggest the German champions have recouped most of the £35m they paid Liverpool for Mane a year ago.

Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said the former Southampton player – who has signed a four-year deal with Al-Nassr – had not had an “easy year” since moving from Anfield.

“He was not able to contribute as much as we all and he himself had hoped,” said Dreesen.

Earlier on Tuesday Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel said he and Mane agreed “it was the best solution to untie the knot”.

“We had a long, big hug and we both agreed we don’t like what’s happening now, but we think it’s for the best in this situation,” said the Bayern coach.

“Sometimes things don’t work out as everybody wants. I have always had a very good relationship with him and this will stay.

“I can totally understand he feels hurt and I also wouldn’t feel happy if things like this happened.

“Obviously it’s something that we didn’t bring into the full potential, which is my responsibility, but in this particular situation it was the best solution to untie the knot.”

Al-Nassr signed five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo in December and have followed that up this summer by adding Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Brazil full-back Alex Telles and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana.

The Senegal forward, 31, has received an offer to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

Mane travelled on Bayern’s pre-season tour of Asia but has been left out of Saturday’s friendly with Kawasaki Frontale in Tokyo.

“Sadio Mane is in contract talks ahead of a possible transfer and so is not in today’s squad,” said Bayern.

Mane only joined Bayern last summer, signing a three-year contract after a £35m move from Liverpool.

He scored 12 goals in 38 appearances as Bayern won an 11th straight Bundesliga title.

But he fell out of favour during an underwhelming season, reportedly punching team-mate Leroy Sane following a Champions League defeat by Manchester City in April, for which Mane was dropped from the squad as well as fined.

Al-Nassr signed five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in December and have followed up this summer by signing Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Brazil full-back Alex Telles and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana.

Mane, 31, has fallen out of favour at the Bundesliga champions after an underwhelming first season following a £35m move from Liverpool last summer.

Reports suggest Bayern are open to selling the Senegal international, with manager Thomas Tuchel saying Mane “fell short of expectations”.

Mane has spoken to Al-Nassr but no deal has been agreed with the Saudi club.

If Mane does move, he would link up with former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, while ex-Red Devil Alex Telles and Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic have both joined the club this summer.

After a successful spell at Anfield where he won the Champions League and Premier League, Mane moved to Germany last summer stating it was the “right time for this challenge”.

But his time there has turned sour after reports he punched team-mate Leroy Sane following a Champions League defeat by Manchester City in April for which he was dropped from the squad as well as fined.

Mane played 38 games for Bayern last season, scoring 12 goals, and boss Tuchel added: “The competitive situation is extremely high, the starting position is not easy for him.

“The player knows that too, he knows my opinion and the opinion of the club.”

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The four-time African champions are yet to secure qualification for the tournament. 

The Black Stars were presented with a chance to confirm their place in the tournament in the matchday five games against Madagascar.

However, Ghana were held to a goalless game. The result means the Black Stars must avoid defeat in their final match against Central African Republic at the Baba Yara Stadium.

Despite their struggles in the qualification series, Mane who won the AFCON in 2021 with the Teranga Lions believes, Ghana can still be touted as one of the title contenders for the tournament.

“The AFCON is full of surprises, but we know the usual best teams like the hosts, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Algeria and Cameroon,” he said, as quoted by Joueurs Cameroonais.

Meanwhile, Senegal, Algeria and Morocco are among 15 teams to have sealed a place in the competition.

Having won their fourth title in 1982, Ghana has strived to get another AFCON title but to no avail while losing three finals in 1992, 2010, and 2015 respectively.

Ghana was kicked out of the group stage in both the 2021 AFCON and the 2022 World Cup.

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Senegal forward Mane scored 21 goals in 67 Premier League appearances for Saints from 2014-2016 before signing for Liverpool for £34m.

He went on to become an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s side which won the 2019 Champions League and the Reds’ first Premier League title in 2019-20.

“I always wanted to play with him [Mane],” Toure said.

Toure spent eight years at City from 2010-2018, winning the club’s first Premier League title and the FA Cup.

Speaking on Match of the Day Africa: Top 10 about the Premier League’s best African player, the former Ivory Coast midfielder, 40, said: “When I was at City, at the time when he was at Southampton, I highly regarded him and I was asking some of my superiors to just sign him. But in the end it just didn’t happen.

“After that Klopp had the eyes to get him and now look what he did for Liverpool, he was brilliant. I like him, I like him as a player.”

Mane joined Bayern Munich in June 2022 for £35m after scoring 120 goals in 269 games and winning six major honours at Anfield.

Toure says the Senegal captain is a “big example” for his work outside of football.

In March 2020 Mane donated £41,000 to his national committee fighting against coronavirus. He also donated 300 Liverpool shirts prior to Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final loss to Real Madrid for locals in his hometown of Senegal to wear during the game.

“The way he deals with things smoothly and the support he gives back to his people in his country is incredible, with what he’s been involved with,” Toure added.

“Some days I get mad when I read media about him and a journalist will ask him, ‘Why don’t you have a Ferrari and things’, and he says, ‘No, I don’t need it, I prefer to have a normal car than have a Ferrari’.

“Two months later we see him, he’s been doing things back in his home country, he’s a big example.”

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West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta put Brazil ahead in the 11th minute before Habib Diallo equalised for Senegal.

An own goal from Marquinhos early in the second half gave Senegal the lead with Mane extending their advantage after 57 minutes.

Marquinhos scored at the right end to pull one back for Brazil but Mane got his second goal with a late penalty.

The match was held at Estadio Jose Alvalade, home of Sporting Lisbon, with nine England-based players in the starting XIs.

As well as Paqueta, Brazil’s team at the beginning of the match included Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, Newcastle midfielders Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes and Tottenham forward Richarlison.

Meanwhile, Senegal’s side included Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate, Chelsea centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, Leicester midfielder Nampalys Mendy and Watford forward Ismaila Sarr.

Reports in Germany claimed Mane hit Sane in the face after Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League defeat by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

Senegal forward Mane has been suspended from Bayern’s squad before Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim.

Tuchel said the league leaders had “cleared the situation”.

“It was a heavy incident – it was very important that it was cleared before the next training session,” he said.

“I’ve known Sadio for many years – he is a top professional. He’s never had a situation like that. He is focused on football, he has my full confidence. Everybody has the right to make a mistake.

“This was too much – he apologised and I believe him. It was important that he stays in training, but he is suspended and he will be fined. I don’t know where the money will go, the club and the player will decide. It is not my highest priority.

“It would be nice if things that happened in the locker room stayed in there. We don’t need situations like that to prove our squad is alive. We don’t tolerate things like that.”

Bild said former Liverpool player Mane, a two-time African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him after the defeat.

Neither player has commented on the alleged altercation.

Bayern host Manchester City in the quarter-final second leg on Wednesday.

Mane was revealed to have punched Sane in the dressing room shortly after Bayern fell 3-0 to Manchester City in the Champions League, leaving a mark on the German before being dragged away by teammates.

Club officials held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the incident and now the club have confirmed Mane will be suspended and fined.

“Sadio Mane, 31, will not be in the FC Bayern squad for the home game against 1899 Hoffenheim next Saturday,” a statement read. “The reason is misconduct by Mane after FC Bayern’s Champions League game at Manchester City. In addition, Mane will receive a fine.”

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As of yet, it is not clear whether Mane’s suspension will be longer than one game.

CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic led the discussions over a potential punishment for Mane, with initial reports even suggesting Bayern were open to selling the Senegal international in the summer in response.

However, Mane is understood to have shown remorse for his actions and Bayern’s punishment, as it stands, is no more than a temporary suspension.

Mane was allowed to take part in team training on Thursday morning and was not required to apologise to either Sane or the wider squad, despite reports suggesting that was part of Bayern’s punishment.

However, he has now been temporarily banished from the club, with manager Thomas Tuchel expected to discuss the sanction during his press conference on Friday.

The reigning Bundesliga champions take on Hoffenheim on Saturday before turning their attention to the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City, needing to overturn a three-goal deficit at the Allianz Arena, and it is not yet clear whether Mane will be involved.

Sky Germany report that Sane’s lip was bleeding after the altercation and the two players needed to be separated by their fellow team-mates in the dressing room.

Bayern Munich officials held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss possible punishments for Mane and, according to Sky Germany, among the sanctions considered were a fine, suspension, and even a parting of the ways in the summer.

It’s expected Mane will apologise in front of the team during Thursday’s training session.

Sane and Mane were seen on the pitch arguing in the latter stages of the match on Tuesday night, where City beat the German champions 3-0 at Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

After landing back in Munich, Mane, who was a substitute for the tie, took the team bus from the airport while Sane was picked up privately.

On returning to Munich, Sane was pictured appearing to hide his bottom lip from cameras.

Bayern Munich have not commented on the incident.

The African champions open their campaign against Group A opponents the Netherlands on Monday (16:00 GMT).

Bayern Munich forward Mane will miss the tournament due to a knee injury.

“We are not just talking about Senegalese people but people around the world and the whole football family is saddened,” said Cisse.

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“He represents the African continent as well as Senegal,” he added. “I have received phone calls from around the world.

“All coaches build teams around their best player, that is also the case for us. We have a strong team as well, with experienced and young players ready to rise to the challenge.”

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said he spoke to his former Liverpool team-mate Mane.

“As a friend I just wanted to know how he was. I feel sad for him. I know how hard he worked for this and he wants to be important for Senegal,” he added.

“He has been important in the last few years especially. It is tough. Obviously he will be a big miss for them. Hopefully we can benefit a little bit from that.”

On Tuesday, Senegal’s football federation said Mane, 30, would miss their “first games” at the tournament.

But a further MRI scan was completed on Thursday that showed surgical intervention is needed.

Mane was forced off during Bayern’s Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen on 8 November.

Senegal start their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Monday. The West Africans are in Group A with games against hosts Qatar (25 November) and Ecuador (29 November) to follow.

Two-time African Footballer of the Year Mane is Senegal’s talisman, having scored the winning penalty when the Teranga Lions became continental champions for the first time in February, defeating Egypt in a shoot-out in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Within two months Mane had repeated the feat, netting the decisive spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt – in a game that again pitted him against then Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah – on penalties in a play-off to qualify for Qatar.

The Bayern Munich forward was named in the Teranga Lions squad for Qatar despite being forced off in a club game last week.

The German champions said the 30-year-old had an injury “to his right fibula”, but Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said Mane does not need an operation.

The West Africans begin their Group A campaign against the Netherlands on Monday, with games against hosts Qatar (25 November) and Ecuador (29 November) to follow.

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“We will have to rely on playing the first games without Sadio and win without Sadio,” Senegal football federation (FSF) board member Abdoulaye Sow told AP.

“No-one would have wanted it, but that’s what’s happened to us.”

Sow added Senegal should “not whine too much” about the absence of the two-time African Footballer of the Year.

Mane is Senegal’s talisman, having scored the winning penalty when the Teranga Lions became continental champions for the first time in February, defeating Egypt in a shoot-out in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Within two months Mane had repeated the feat, netting the decisive spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt – in a game that again pitted him against then Liverpool team-mate Mohammed Salah – on penalties in a play-off to qualify for Qatar.

In Bayern Munich’s penultimate game before the World Cup, Mane was substituted after just 21 minutes when he appeared to hurt his leg during his side’s 6-1 win at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann said he had an x-ray after suffering a knock to the tibia.

Senegal begin their World Cup campaign on November 21 against the Netherlands, and Mane will be crucial in their hopes of emerging from a group that also includes host nation Qatar and Ecuador.

A kind draw on paper means expectations are high, in what is arguably one of the most open groups at the tournament.

Mane is a national icon after scoring the winning spot-kick in a penalty shootout win over Egypt to secure Senegal a first Africa Cup of Nations title last year.

He made another vital contribution from 12 yards out and repeated his feat against Egypt once again, scoring in a second shootout with the Pharaohs in March send his country to the World Cup.

His exploits at international level remain unsurpassed, and he became the country’s all-time leading goalscorer with a hat-trick of Benin in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June.

The Lions of Teranga are managed by Aliou Cisse, who captained the side at the 2002 World Cup where they reached the quarter-finals and recorded an incredible 1-0 win over reigning champions France.

Cisse’s men have other star quality at their disposal, which includes Chelsea duo Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, but Mane is undoubtedly their talisman.

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The 30-year-old has been in superb start to life in Germany this season after scoring 11 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions.

His form in the Champions League has been particularly impressive, after netting three times and registering one assist as Bayern won all six of their group stage fixtures in a tough-looking group that included Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Nagelsmann’s side have also moved to the top of the Bundesliga with Mane playing a key role, having scored six goals in 14 league appearances in the German top flight.

Mane will miss Bayern’s final game before the World Cup when they travel to bottom club Schalke on Saturday.

SENEGAL WORLD CUP SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Alfred Gomis, Seny Diang

Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly, Pape Abou Cisse, Abdou Diallo, Fode Ballo Toure, Youssouf Sabaly, Ismail Jakobs, Formose Mendy

Midfielders: Pape Matar Sarr, Pape Gueye, Nampalys Mendy, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Moustapha Name, Loum Ndiaye, Cheikhou Kouyate, Krepin Diatta, Pathe Ciss

Forwards: Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Bamba Dieng, Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou, Ilman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson

Mane started the game but managed just 20 minutes before limping off with a seemingly innocuous injury, with Leroy Sane coming off the bench to replace him in the 6-2 victory.

Bayern had been confident that Mane’s injury would not be serious, with assistant Dino Toppmoller stating straight after the game: “He got hit in the leg, which caused a little nerve pain. Nothing too serious. His participation in the World Cup shouldn’t be in jeopardy.”

However, according to L’Equipe, Mane has actually suffered a tendon injury and will not be fit in time to feature at the World Cup.

Senegal manager Aliou Cisse will announce his World Cup squad on Friday and Mane is no longer expected to make the cut, which is an enormous blow to the African nation.

Mane has managed 92 appearances for his country, scoring 33 goals in that time and famously inspiring Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations glory earlier this year.

Mane, 30, is accustomed to writing headlines on the pitch, but it’s his continued efforts off it that are making the biggest difference. The Bayern Munich forward has built a public hospital and funded schools and families in his home village of Bambali in recent years, and also donated to the Senegalese National Committee to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Socrates Prize identifies the best social initiative by committed champions,” said a statement from France Football magazine, which added the humanitarian award to the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony. The accolade is named after the late footballer Socrates, who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement, in opposition to the ruling military government in 1980s Brazil.

Mane, who is the reigning African Footballer of the Year, was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or. He scored 23 goals in his final season as a Liverpool player whilst helping Senegal win their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title, and has since produced nine goals and an assist in 16 competitive appearances for Bayern.

“I’m really happy to be a guest tonight,” Mane said. “Sometimes I’m a bit shy, but I’m really happy to do what I can do for my people to make things better.”

The former Liverpool winger is a practicing Muslim, and therefore abstains from drinking alcohol.

Although he did look a little awkward at the event, Mane still took his place in the front row alongside the rest of the squad dressed in Lederhosen, and he has received plenty of praise from fans on social media for not being pressured into holding a beer and remaining true to his religion.

‘Love it by Sadio Mane,’ another fan posted on Twitter.

‘Very inspiring. Stay true to what you believe,’ another fan added.

This is not the first time that Mane’s religious beliefs have shone through as he also respectfully asked Takumi Minamino to put a bottle of champagne down earlier this year when the pair were celebrating Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final win against Chelsea.

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Minamino immediately put the bottle down at his team-mate’s request, and the duo continued to celebrate with the rest of the team.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Mane was not the only Bayern player not holding a beer as Noussair Mazraoui also chose to pose without alcohol.

Like Mane, Mazraoui is a practicing Muslim, and he has also been applauded for his stance by fans. 

‘Mane and Mazraoui, give it up for these guys,’ one fan posted on Twitter.

‘Muslims don’t mess around with their beliefs man! You gotta respect it!’ another supporter added.

Mane and Mazraoui have also made positive impressions on the pitch since arriving earlier this summer, helping Bayern pick up 10 points from their opening four league games to move top of the Bundesliga table. 

Leroy Sane opened the scoring with a brilliant curling effort after four minutes with Matthijs de Ligt heading home on his debut to make it two before the half-hour mark.

Kingsley Coman slid in from close range eight minutes later and before half-time the France winger slipped through Sadio Mane to make it four at the break.

Coman was brought down for a spot-kick in the 58th minute which Mane converted, Cristian Gamboa put through his own net and Bayern substitute Serge Gnabry crashed home a low drive from the edge of the box to seal the rout.

The result sees Bayern retain their perfect start to the league campaign and take their customary place at the summit of the table, with Bochum – conversely – rooted to the foot with no points and just three goals from their first three games.

What looked a tricky opener on paper against the Europa League winners proved anything but as Julian Nagelsmann’s side ran riot in a scarcely believable first half in which they scored five goals.

Joshua Kimmich gave Bayern lift-off in the fifth-minute with an audacious low free-kick from 30 yards that caught out goalkeeper Kevin Trapp at his near post, and five minutes later, it was 2-0, Benjamin Pavard with a striker’s finish from a corner.

Mane got in on the act with a trademark header to finish Serge Gnabry’s cross – and he was central to Bayern’s fourth and fifth goal, too, as Thomas Muller left it on a plate for Jamal Musiala and then Gnabry to make it five before the sound of the half-time whistle.

Determined to start afresh in the second half after a triple substitution, Frankfurt were much improved, and the arrears were reduced in the 64th-minute – after a rare mistake from Manuel Neuer. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was caught in possession as Kolo Muani stole in and slotted the ball into an empty net.

With the game already sewn up, Bayern lifted their foot from the pedal, taking the opportunity to introduce new signings Ryan Gravenberch and Matthijs De Ligt, but they finished on a high with Musiala scoring his brace and Leroy Sane grabbing the assist.

Mane told Bayern’s club magazine in an interview published Tuesday that all that counts for him is the team which also shows in Bayern’s motto Mia san mia (We are who we are).

“People say that about me, but I don’t see myself as a global star at all. I don’t know where to start with that phrase.

“All I care about is being part of the team. I do everything for that. I want to go to the limit for my teammates: score goals, provide assists and win games. I’m here to give my absolute best for Bayern Munich.

“Everyone knows Bayern identity. For me, this ‘Mia san mia’ means that the team always comes first. It’s the togetherness that counts, not the individual.

“That’s what makes FC Bayern so special. I can identify with this philosophy very easily because I’m firmly convinced this is the path to success,“he said.

Mane won every club title on offer with Liverpool highlighted by the 2019 Champions League and 2020 Premier League titles.

He led Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations title this year and was two weeks ago named African Footballer of the Year for a second time.

Mane is Bayern’s biggest-name summer signing along with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt, and he scored in Bayern’s 5-3 win over RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Saturday.

“I want to bring all my experience to the team and help make it even stronger so that together we can all achieve our goals. Nowadays, I’m an experienced player and know how to deal with this kind of pressure,” he said.

Bayern’s next match is the Bundesliga opener on Friday at Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.

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Ex-Liverpool forward Mane struck after Jamal Musiala broke the deadlock.

Benjamin Pavard added a third before Marcel Halsterberg scored Leipzig’s first and Serge Gnabry made it 4-1.

Christopher Nkunku rifled home from the penalty spot and Dani Olmo was also on target for Leipzig but Leroy Sane secured the 5-3 win in stoppage time.

Bayern, league champions for the past 10 seasons, are regulars in this fixture, which pits the Bundesliga winners against the German Cup holders.

It was perhaps inevitable that they should start so strongly, Musiala’s opener coming as he swept home when a corner was not cleared.

Leipzig did settle and had a Nkunku goal ruled out for offside moments later.

But Germany midfielder Musiala was in fine form and was integral to his side’s second goal, releasing Gnabry down the left.

The former Arsenal attacker picked out Mane, who finished powerfully for a first goal since his £35m move from Anfield.

Musiala also had a part to play in Bayern’s third as he crossed for France defender Pavard to fire past Peter Gulacsi in the Leipzig goal.

Moments after substitute Andre Silva hit the bar, Halsterberg pulled one back for Leipzig, looping a header over Manuel Neuer.

But Bayern did not have to wait long for their three-goal cushion to be restored. Gulacsi did well to deny Thomas Muller after he drove down the right, but Gnabry was there to convert the rebound.

Leipzig improved markedly in the second half and scored a second on 77 minutes, Nkunku converting from 12 yards after Pavard brought down Olmo in the area.

Olmo then scored himself at Neuer’s near post as Leipzig made it 4-3 to threaten a stunning comeback, but Bayern wrapped it up on the counter-attack through Sane.

The Bayern Munich forward is expected to beat former club teammate, Mohamed Salah and national colleague, Edouard Mendy to the award after an impressive year which saw him impress for both club and country.

Mané led Senegal to win their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in February when the competition was held in Cameroon, beating Egypt in the final.

He also guided the Teranga Lions as they secured a World Cup spot ahead of Salah’s Egypt a month later.

Mané scored 23 times and provided five assists for Liverpool during the 2021/22 season and won the FA Cup before joining Bayern at the end of the season.

More to follow…

Mane, the last man to be crowned Africa’s best player back in 2019, will go up against former Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah of Egypt and compatriot Edouard Mendy of Chelsea.

Riyad Mahrez, Naby Keita, Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko Ekambi, Achraf Hakimi, Sebastien Haller and Kalidou Koulibaly have all fallen by the wayside from the 10-long list released over a week ago.

The women’s shortlist has also been revealed, with Africa’s most decorated footballer Oshoala, Cameroon forward Ajara Nchout Njoya and Zambia midfielder Grace Chanda making the final three.

Barcelona forward Oshoala was named Africa’s best female player three years ago – since when the awards have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Caf, African football’s governing body, has also announced the final lists for other men and women’s categories including Coach, Young Player, Interclub Player, Club, National team and goal of the year awards.

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All the winners will be named on Thursday apart from the women’s national team of the year award, which will be announced after the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final on Saturday.

Caf awards 2022 nominees:

Player of the Year (women): Grace Chanda (Zambia & BIIK Kazygurt), Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon & Inter Milan) and Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona).

Player of the Year (men): Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich), Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea), Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool).

Interclub Player of the Year (women): Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies/Alvaldsnes), Andile Dlamini (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bambanani Mbanie (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns).

Interclub Player of the Year (men): Achraf Dari (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club), Aliou Dieng (Mali & Al Ahly), Mohamed El Shenawy (Egypt & Al Ahly).

Young Player of the Year (women): Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies/Alvaldsnes), Doris Boaduwaa (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies), Yasmine Zouhir (Morocco & AS Saint-Etienne).

Young Player of the Year (men): Karim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire & ASEC/RB Salzburg), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal & Tottenham Hotspur), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia & Manchester United).

Coach of the Year (women): Desiree Ellis (South Africa), Bruce Mwape (Zambia), Reynald Pedros (Morocco), Jerry Tshabalala (Mamelodi Sundowns).

Coach of the Year (men): Aliou Cisse (Senegal), Carlos Queiroz (Egypt), Walid Regragui (Wydad Athletic Club).

Club of the Year (women): AS FAR (Morocco), Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).

Club of the Year (men): Al Ahly (Egypt), RS Berkane (Morocco), Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco).

National Team of the Year (men): Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal.

Goal of the Year: Zouhair El Moutaraji (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club), Gabadinho Mhango (Malawi & Orlando Pirates), Pape Ousmane Sakho (Senegal & Simba).

The Reds will receive 32m euros (£27.4m) with an additional 6m euros based on appearances, plus 3m euros for individual and team achievements.

Liverpool turned down two bids from Bayern before agreeing a fee for the Senegal forward, who was under contract until next summer.

“This is the right time for this challenge,” said the 30-year-old.

“I felt the great interest of this big club from the start so there was no doubt in my mind.”

Mane joined Liverpool for £34m from Southampton in June 2016, and scored 120 goals in 269 games, finishing last season with 23 goals in all competitions.

“Sadio Mane is a world star who underscores the appeal of FC Bayern and increases the attractiveness of the entire Bundesliga,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer. “It is for such unique footballers that the fans come to the stadiums.”

Mane helped Liverpool win the Champions League and the Premier League, and in February scored the winning penalty as Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.

“With his outstanding performances and his great successes at the highest international level over many years, there are very few players like him in the world,” added Bayern’s chief executive Oliver Kahn.

“We’re sure that Sadio Mane 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. With players like him at FC Bayern, all the biggest goals are possible.”

Last week Liverpool confirmed the signing of Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez from Benfica for an initial £64m.

In a farewell interview for the Liverpool website, Mane said: “It is really strange to no longer be a Liverpool player but I had an unbelievable time. I am going to be Liverpool’s number one fan forever.”

Does Mane departure mark ‘end of era’ at Anfield?

With Jurgen Klopp having been appointed Liverpool manager in October 2015, Mane was the German’s first major signing at Anfield the following summer.

Roberto Firmino was already at the club and Mohammed Salah arrived in 2017 to complete what would become one of the greatest forward lines in Premier League history.

In five seasons in all competitions, they scored 338 goals between them, helping Liverpool become champions of Europe for the sixth time in 2019 and then win the English league title for the first time in 30 years.

With the trio moving into or near to their 30s, Liverpool prepared for the evolution of their attacking ranks by signing Diogo Jota and then Luis Diaz, but Mane’s departure could be seen as the end of an era at Anfield.

“It’s a big moment, there is no point in anyone trying to pretend otherwise,” Klopp told the Liverpool website.

“One of Liverpool’s greatest ever players is leaving and we must acknowledge how significant this is. But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have.”

Will the summer signings of Nunez and teenager Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, allied with the arrivals of Jota and Diaz, spark a second phase of success for Klopp on Merseyside?

The Reds will get a fixed 32m euros (£27.4m) with an additional 6m euros based on appearances and 3m euros based on individual and team achievements.

Liverpool turned down two bids from Bayern before accepting their latest offer for the 30-year-old, whose deal with the Reds ran until next summer.

He joined Liverpool for £31m plus £2.5m in add-ons from Southampton in 2016.

Since then, Mane scored 90 Premier League goals for the Anfield club and finished last season with 23 goals in all competitions.

News of his departure follows Tuesday’s signing of Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez from Benfica for an initial £64m.

Alongside fellow forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who are both 30, Mane has been integral to Liverpool’s success in recent years.

The trio helped the club win the Champions League in 2019 and then end a 30-year wait for the league title in the following season.

This has also been an exceptional year for Mane, who won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal before helping Liverpool win the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and finish runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League.

Mane is expected to replace Robert Lewandowski at Bayern, with the Poland international set to lave the German club having been linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.

The Reds have been left bemused after the German club returned with the offer after an initial bid, reported to be worth up to £25m, was turned down.

Liverpool are understood to want about €50m (£42.8m) for 30-year-old Mane considering Bayern’s similar valuation of 33-year-old Robert Lewandowski.

Mane and Lewandowski both have one year remaining on their current deals.

Poland international Lewandowski wants to move to Barcelona this summer after a decade with Bayern.

Mane has been more coy about his future. The forward joked at the weekend that he would be led by public opinion in his homeland, suggesting the majority of Senegalese people would prefer him to leave Anfield.

But the forward has previously hinted that he will stay at Liverpool, promising a “special” answer over his future.

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Mane has scored 120 goals for Liverpool since arriving from Southampton for a fee of £36m in June 2016, helping the club to success in the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020.

He signed a contract extension with the club in 2018, which expires at the end of next season.

Liverpool also face a conundrum over the future of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, who will also be a free agent in summer 2023.

Salah has said he intends to remain at Liverpool next season but Barcelona are rumored to want to sign him as a free agent at the end of the coming campaign.

On Wednesday, Liverpool were linked with a bid for 22-year-old Uruguay and Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.

The forward settled a drab encounter in the Senegalese capital Dakar when holding his nerve to drill home and finally break Rwanda’s resistance.

It is the second time this year the Liverpool forward, heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich, has converted a spot-kick deep into added time, after his 97th-minute winner against Zimbabwe in Senegal’s opening Nations Cup game in Cameroon.

Mane – who also scored the winning penalty in the Nations Cup final – is enjoyable a memorable spell after netting a hat-trick in Saturday’s win over Benin to become the Teranga Lions’ record goalscorer.

Despite playing in Dakar in what was actually a nominal home tie for Rwanda, the Nations Cup winners – Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and PSG’s Idrissa Gueye among them – struggled for form.

Senegal have played their opening two qualifiers at home, with Rwanda reversing Tuesday’s match to enable them to continue renovations on their Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

The Teranga Lions are five points clear in Group L after just two games, but Benin and Mozambique – who have played just once – meet on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old forward has been strongly linked with a move away from Anfield this summer as he has just a year left on his contract.

And now Bundesliga champions Bayern have made their initial move with an offer of £25m, according to the Times.

The bid consisted of a £21m fee, plus £4m in add-ons, some of which were dependent on Bayern winning the Champions League in the future.

Liverpool apparently “did not entertain the offer” which they believe “hugely undervalues” Mane.

They have also not given Bayern a price at which they would be prepared to sell.

Mane joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2016 and has been a key player for Jurgen Klopp, scoring 120 goals in 269 games.

But he is reportedly keen on a new challenge and has been identified as Bayern’s top target this transfer window.

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Mane was asked recently while on international duty with Senegal about a social media poll regarding his future.

“Like everyone else, I’m on social media and I see the comments. Isn’t it between 60 to 70 per cent of Senegalese that want me to leave Liverpool?” he said.

“I will do what they want. We will see soon! Don’t be in a hurry because we’ll see this together.”

But speaking after scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Benin, he added: “I spoke yesterday while joking with a bit of humour and it was everywhere.

“I think we’ll stop there. Liverpool is a club I respect a lot. The fans adopted me since day one. Regarding the future, we’ll see.”

While Mane looks set to leave Liverpool, the Times say James Milner, 36, is set to sign a new contract and talks with defender Joe Gomez are also being planned.

The man who was left-back when the Anfield club won the trophy in 2005 thinks Senegal forward Sadio Mane is in contention for the award – but says he faces stiff competition from Real and France striker Karim Benzema.

Benzema, 34, has struck 15 goals in Europe this season to help the Spanish giants set up a meeting with Liverpool in Paris on Saturday (19:00 GMT).

Mane was instrumental in Senegal’s first Africa Cup of Nations triumph in February and helped the Teranga Lions qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with the 30-year-old having also won two domestic cups with his club this season.

“I think Karim Benzema is in the form in his life – he’s doing fantastically,” Traore told BBC Sport Africa.

“I think the winner of the Champions League, the individual reward would be like winning the Ballon d’Or. Right now it looks like it’ll be between Benzema and Mane.”

Nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or will be revealed on 12 August, with the winner announced at a ceremony in Paris in 17 October.

Organisers France Football have decided the prize will now be judged on performances over a season rather than over a calendar year, which was the previous format.

Saturday’s showdown between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Paris is a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final, when the Spaniards ran out 3-1 winners to clinch their 13th European crown.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds returned 12 months later to win the title for the sixth time and Traore thinks his old side are slight favourites this year, despite finishing second in the Premier League.

“They have a fantastic manager,” the 42-year-old former Mali international said.

“Some of their players are the best in the positions they play. When you see Mo Salah, he’s a top-class player, the best African player. You see Mane as well and after that you have (Virgil) Van Dijk and a couple of other players.

“They just got (Luis) Diaz – he was a great addition for the team. And they look confident.

“Maybe it’s one of the first times Liverpool look like favourites in the final and that’s something maybe they’re not used to. They did it last time against Tottenham [in 2019], so why not do it again?”

Istanbul comeback in 2005 ‘sticks’ with Traore

Traore was part of the Liverpool side which recovered from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 and beat AC Milan on penalties in the Champions League final 17 years ago.

The defender says that comeback, dubbed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’, remains a fond memory.

“When I look back on that experience, it was one of the best moments in my life,” Traore said.

“I went through different emotions and that’s why it still sticks with me,

“In any sport, any coach would want to talk about that story. Because everything is possible if you believe and work hard, and if you don’t give up.

“That’s what I think is the beauty of that final – and the beauty of football.”

Traore now works for the Right to Dream Academy, an organisation affiliated to Danish top-flight club FC Nordsjaelland with football academies in Denmark, Ghana and Egypt – and with plans to open another in America.

“I try to get the best players from each academy, and play games together around the world,” Traore, who is head coach of the international academy, said.

“We try to make sure they grow as a player, but as a person as well, and prepare them to be ready to go into the professional world. It can be football and education, and that’s what I love about it – it is authentic.”

In a repeat of the Africa Cup of Nations final, Senegal were left jubilant at the final whistle after winning on penalties, with Egypt’s players disconsolate and Salah – one of the world’s best players – left contemplating his absence from November’s tournament in Qatar.

The second leg of the play-off tie in Senegal’s new 50,000-seater stadium finished 1-0 to the hosts and 1-1 on aggregate after extra time, sending the game to a tense and dramatic shootout.

Mane had netted the penalty which won the Nations Cup and the Reds forward notched the decisive spot-kick once again after keeper Edouard Mendy had given Senegal an advantage by saving from Mostafa Mohamed at 2-1.

Egypt captain Salah was one of four players to miss the first four penalties of a shootout marked by a vast number of green laser pointers directed at the visiting players and goalkeeper.

Senegal’s Boulaye Dia was the scorer of the only goal in normal time – notching after just four minutes with a shot that hit the body of Pharaohs defender Hamdi Fathi.

Elsewhere in Africa’s World Cup play-offs, Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco and Cameroon also clinched qualification – with Nigeria, Mali, DR Congo and Algeria all eliminated.

Critical advantage

It is the second time in six weeks that Senegal have beaten Egypt on penalties to a major prize.

In February it was the Nations Cup final in Cameroon. There, two Egyptian misses meant their goalscoring icon Salah did not even get the chance to take one.

This time around they made sure he went first – and with an eye on securing a crucial early advantage following Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly hitting the bar with the first effort of the shootout.

But Salah could do no better. Indeed he did worse, his shot going nowhere near Mendy’s goal as it sailed over the bar.

Neither Ciss nor Zizo could score either and it seemed clear the raft of laser pointers being directed at players from both sides – which had increased in intensity as the match drew to a close – were having an effect.

Ismaila Sarr did finally find the net, but that was matched by Amr El Soleya. Bamba Dieng then struck confidently to put the Teranga Lions ahead, but when Mostafa attempted to reply for Egypt, Mendy saved well and put Senegal in command.

It was a situation Mane took full advantage of, blasting his effort down the middle and sparking scenes of celebration.

That the game would be settled on penalties was not the obvious conclusion given the scoreline.

Dia’s deflected strike was a strange repeat of the one that had given Egypt victory in the first leg in Cairo – in the same minute.

It came after Egypt failed to defend a dangerous free-kick. Dia pounced on a headed clearance to shoot, but Fathi challenged at the same time and the ball went under visiting keeper Mohammed El Shenawy.

In Senegal’s brand new home, which unlike most major African stadiums has no running track and created a more intense atmosphere, the roof nearly came off.

Egypt offered little throughout, sticking to a gameplan of maintaining a tight defence and breaking down any Senegal attacks with heavily contested challenges,

But the hosts had two great chances – both of which fell to Sarr – to seal the success, before penalties decided the outcome.

The first was on 82 minutes when he was put clean through, but El Shenawy made himself big to make sure Sarr’s effort drifted wide.

Then, presented with most of the goal to aim at from a Mane cross in extra-time, the Watford man failed to connect properly and his effort spun into the body of El Shenawy.

Zizo lifted Egypt with a couple of mazy runs, but they seemed to play for penalties and ultimately paid the price.

Black Stars and Indomitable Lions among others to progress

Ghana were the first side to qualify after a 1-1 draw earlier on Tuesday saw the Black Stars overcome Nigeria on away goals in Abuja.

Thomas Partey’s opener for the visitors was cancelled out by William Troost-Ekong’s penalty, and Super Eagles fans reacted angrily at full-time after their side were knocked out, showering the Ghana players and staff with missiles.

Cameroon clinched an eighth World Cup qualification – a record for an African side – following a dramatic finale in Algeria.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s first-half goal sent the game to extra time.

Algeria looked to have won it courtesy of Ahmed Touba’s 118th-minute header, but Karl Toko-Ekambi struck in the fourth minute of added time to stun the home crowd in Blida and win the tie on away goals.

Tunisia made it back-to-back World Cup appearances after a goalless draw in Tunis saw off Mali 1-0 on aggregate, while Morocco had a comparatively comfortable evening as a 4-1 home win over DR Congo secured a 5-2 triumph over the two legs.

Two goals from Azzedine Ounahi and one each from Tarik Tissoudali and Achraf Hakimi saw the Atlas Lions book their sixth trip to the finals.

The African quintet now await Friday’s group-stage draw to discover who they will face in Qatar.

The Liverpool forward scored the winning penalty as the Teranga Lions beat Egypt 4-2 on penalties to clinch their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations, after the game ended goalless following extra time.

His three goals and two assists for the West African nation earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and now the mayor of Sedhiou, Adboulaye Diop, says the region’s football stadium will be named after its favourite son.

“I would like, through this decision to give the name of Sadio Mané to the Stade de Sédhiou, to express the recognition of all the daughters and sons of the region, towards a man who makes known to the humanity as a whole, Bambali and its regional capital, namely Sédhiou,” Diop, who doubles as Senegal’s minister of culture and communication, was quoted as saying by the local media.

“Sadio Mané really deserves this honour.”

Mane won the heart of millions following charitable acts in his home town by pledging money to building a hospital and school, contributing to constructing mosques and providing funds to aid the fight against Covid-19.

Before the Champions League final back in May 2018, he gifted Liverpool shirts to locals in his hometown of Bambali so they could wear them during the game.

“There are 2,000 in the village. I bought 300 Liverpool jerseys to send to the people in the village, so the fans can wear to watch the final,” said Mane.

Bambali is where Mane watched Liverpool’s famous comeback against AC Milan to win the 2005 Champions League final – at the age of 13. And his home is never far from his mind.

From French club Metz to Liverpool via Austria’s RB Salzburg and Southampton, Mane has come a long way to being recognised as one of the finest players in the world.

Winner of the English Premier League and the Champions League with Liverpool, the reigning African footballer of the year was keen to bring a prestigious trophy to Senegal.

And after his team’s success in Cameroon, Mane said winning Senegal’s first Africa Cup of Nations is the highlight of his career.

The Senegalese forward, Mane was voted as the TotalEnergies Man of the Tournament for his sterling performance throughout the competition.

The Liverpool star scored the winning penalty that ensured Senegal, crowned African champions in Yaoundé on Sunday night, February 6. 

The Senegal head coach, Cissé who has been part of the six-year project, has ensured that the team remained top of African rankings for a while, walked away with the Coach of the Tournament. 

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Chelsea shot-stopper, Mendy, recently voted as the best goalkeeper in the world during the FIFA Best awards, once again showed his class and claimed the Continental Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. 

Despite not being in the final, Aboubakar’s eight goals in this competition for Cameroon earned him the Umbro Golden Boot.

The CAF Fair Play Award went to the Senegal team.

It was Mane who, having missed during the 90 minutes, sealed victory in a tense penalty shootout to create history with Senegal’s first-ever AFCON title.

While Mane was quite content to have a nap with his new pieces of gold, his teammates were keen to keep the party going at their Cameroonian hotel.

Chelsea and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy gave a peak behind the curtain on his Instagram page late into the night.

A group of Mane’s teammates were captured signing and dancing through the corridors of their hotel – not allowing for much peace and quiet for the matchwinner and the trophy to get much sleep.

With a microphone in hand, the partying players sang in chorus as they looked to cherish a piece of history for Senegal.

In a closely-fought encounter against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, it was Premier League stars Mane and Mendy that came up big in crunch time.

Mane helped banish the memories of their 2019 failure when they lost the final to Algeria by converting the decisive fifth penalty in the shootout.

Goalkeeper Mendy had earlier saved Mohanad Lasheen to give Mane the chance to seal the win.

Mane was named AFCON’s Player of the Tournament while Mendy collected the prize for Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Few of his teammates would have begrudged Mane getting some alone time with the trophy in his hotel room having seen him play such a key role in guiding them to glory.

Over the course of AFCON, he was directly involved in nine – six goals and three assists – of Senegal’s last 14 goals.

Mendy kept five clean sheets and both he and Mane will now return to England for the remainder of the Premier League season, as well as Champions League campaigns with Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.

The 29-year-old Egypt international has been the best performer for the Reds in this campaign with his combination with the Senegal striker allowing them to score a combined 28 goals so far in this season.

While Salah has managed 13 goals in the top-flight from 15 appearances, the 29-year-old Mane has managed seven goals from the same number of appearances, a performance that has seen Liverpool move to second on the 20-team table with 34 points from 15 matches.

However, there have been reports in the past questioning the relationship between the two players with pundits claiming they sometimes don’t pass the ball to each other.

Salah, who joined the Anfield outfit in 2017, has now come out to clarify the matter.

“My relationship with Sadio [Mane]? We are teammates on the pitch and in the locker room, and it’s a professional relationship,” Salah told Egyptian broadcaster MBC.

“He and I give everything we have for the team to win. We may have a competition for who is better, but this is normal in any team and a legitimate right for any player, but in the end, we serve the team.

“Sometimes I act selfishly on the field, but no one puts his interest above the interest of the team, and it is not intentional.

“In a match, Sadio left the field angry, this was the first time people talked about the bad relationship between us, and they associated every time I did not pass to him or he did not pass to me with this situation.

“But Sadio give me many assists and so do I. I am not jealous if someone else scored goals.”

On his individual awards, Salah said: “I feel it is up to people’s opinions. In my mind, I am the best player in the world.

“I can’t say I don’t want to win the Ballon d’Or or Fifa The Best, of course, I want to get any of them and I know I’ll win any of them at some point, but if I don’t win them no problem I’m not worried, but I feel the criteria for these awards are unfair.

“Money and fame have made me more honest with myself, that I don’t want to prove anything to myself.”

On his relationship with head coach Jurgen Klopp, Salah explained: “My relationship with Klopp is very good, he always tries to bring out the best in me and I always try to give everything I have for him and the club.

“Our relationship is good and professional. Do we disagree? Certainly, because we think differently, but in the end, we agree on most things. You can’t say we agree 100% or disagree 100%.

Klopp full of praise for all of Liverpool’s stars, not only Salah – This video will start in0:04

“I always want to play. But he is the coach and he wants to rest his players because of the many matches, but we always reach a compromise. We have been together for five years and I can always ask him why I don’t play or why he rested me.

“Klopp is tough when necessary or when he feels the team is too confident to win, but he treats the players well.”

The small village of Bambali, where Mane was born, did not have a hospital before, and the Senegalese forward decided to pay tribute to his small town by helping in that charitable project.

Très honoré de l’audience que le Chef de l’État, Son Excellence @Macky_Sall m’a accordée. Un bon moment d’échanges sur le football mais aussi sur nos projets sociaux. #Sénégal for Ever ? pic.twitter.com/mO1afpZqtP

— Sadio Mané (@SMane_Officiel) June 11, 2021

Mane (29) previously donated 250,000 pounds to build a school in the town. The new hospital will include among others, departments for maternity care, dental facilities and consulting rooms.

The Senegal and Liverpool star met last week with H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, to discuss the hospital project.

Le footballeur Sadio Mané a été reçu cet après-midi par le Président @Macky_Sall. L’attaquant de Liverpool a présenté au Chef de l’Etat un ambitieux projet de construction d’un hôpital à Bambali et compte sur l’accompagnement de l’Etat pour le personnel médical. pic.twitter.com/aPBwtY8Iz7

— Présidence Sénégal (@PR_Senegal) June 10, 2021

“Sadio Mané has presented the Head of State with an ambitious plan to build a hospital in Bambali and is counting on state support for medical personnel,” said a statement from Senegal Presidency on Twitter.

Mane, who was born in Bambali, is playing now with Liverpool FC, having won the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles with his side. He was named CAF Player of the Year 2019.

The Senegalese forward headed in a superb second-half opener before doubling his tally four minutes later when he showed great work-rate to chase down Kepa and force a shocking error out of the Blues stopper.

It all turned the champions’ way after a cagey first period of few openings exploded into life on the stroke of half time. Andreas Christensen’s caution – for tumbling Mane as he raced through – was quite rightly upgraded to a red card by VAR.

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It proved to be a major moment in the game as Liverpool, who were already dominating and restricting Chelsea to occasional counter-attacks, took firm control through Mane’s brace.

The Merseysiders brought on new signing, Thiago for his debut at the interval, but he almost gave Chelsea a lifeline when he tripped Timo Werner in the area 15 minutes from time. Jorginho stepped up but saw his perfect record from the spot come to an end thanks to Alisson’s smart save.

Next up, the two sides are in League Cup action in the week. Chelsea host Barnsley on Wednesday while Liverpool travel to Lincoln on Thursday.

Liverpool secured a first league title in 30 years via a margin of 18 points from second-placed Manchester City.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, last year’s winners Virgil Van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, and Raheem Sterling join De Bruyne and Mane on the shortlist.

De Bruyne and Mane are the bookies’ favourites, but Jordan Henderson should not be discounted after his Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award earlier in the year.

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• Arsenal sign defender Gabriel from Lille

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Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold, 21, doubles up on the Young Player of the Year list, where nominees had to be 21 or under on July 1, 2019, to qualify – he will face stiff competition from Marcus Rashford, 22, Mason Greenwood, 18, Tammy Abraham, 22, Mason Mount, 21 and Bukayo Saka, 18.

PFA MEN’S SHORTLIST

• Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
• Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
• Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
• Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
• Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

PFA MEN’S YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

• Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
• Mason Greenwood (Manchester United)
• Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
• Mason Mount (Chelsea)
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

A new documentary about Liverpool’s football star Sadio Mane doesn’t claim to belong in the superhero genre, but “Made in Senegal” could arguably form the template for a compelling Marvel movie.It’s the story of a young boy with a dream, a boy without a father, growing up a remote part of Senegal and against seemingly impossible odds, rising to become one of the best and most famous players in the world.

Life in the village of Bambali was hard and in the film, Mane makes clear that farming would have been the only career choice for young Sadio.He was surrounded by football though, his uncle’s team trained just yards from his home.

Although they weren’t a particularly good side, Mane aspired to be among them; “people found me abnormal”, he said because he would practice playing in the dust with grapefruits or stones, as footballs were so scarce.

In 2019, The Athletic dispatched Oliver Kay to Mane’s home village to research his background and the football writer said it was even more isolated than you could have imagined”It really is the back of beyond,” Kay told CNN Sport via Webex, “the nearest city was three hours away.

The capital Dakar is seven hours away. The kids climb over the local well and chase chickens, there was no hint of a professional coaching set-up or academy; the odds that were stacked against him were overwhelming.”

‘I couldn’t really grasp it’

When Mane was just seven, his life got even tougher.”We were about to play on the field, when a cousin approached me and said ‘Sadio, your father passed away.’ I replied ‘Oh really?’ I thought: he’s joking, I couldn’t really grasp it. He’d had stomach ache, but because there was no hospital, we tried traditional medicine.

They took him to a village and he died there.”By the time he was 15, Sadio was making a name for himself. The best player in his village, if not the region, was known to his friends as ‘ballonbuwa’ — the ball wizard.But the obstacles to his dreams weren’t just geographic; they were much closer to home.Speaking in “Made in Senegal,” Mane put it bluntly: “Nobody in my family wanted me to become a footballer.”The Mane family are the imams of Bambali and many in the family didn’t even like football. “There was no way they’d let me go, not in my lifetime,” says the 28-year-old star.

That’s why he escaped under cover of darkness, packing his bags at 6 a.m.and catching the bus to Dakar. He didn’t have any ID at the Gambian border, but was allowed to pass through with his student papers.

In the capital, he was living the dream, but his family was worried sick. After a week, they tracked him down and dragged him back to the village, “it was the worst day of my life, I felt hate for my family.” But he agreed to return on one condition, that he’d only attend one more year of school; after that he was free to follow football.

‘Snakes and ladders’

In the careers of many players, there is ebb and flow, but as Oliver Kay puts it, not with Mane. “It’s like snakes and ladders, people might go up but then have a drop off. But his rise has just been spectacular, he doesn’t ever seem to have hit a plateau.”From scoring four goals in his first game at the academy ‘Generation Foot’ in Senegal, to making football seem like a video game in front of the visiting scout from Metz.

Mane began his professional career in the French second division, before moving to RB Salzburg in Austria and winning the league and cup double.At Southampton, he scored the Premier League’s fastest ever hat-trick in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds and now with Liverpool, he’s become a European and club world champion and is considered one of the top players on the planet.

Fans marvel at his speed, ability and selflessness, “he just goes and goes and goes”, but the raw data from his performances reveals some things that perhaps the eye cannot see.Simon Brundish is a sports scientist and the director of StrengthLab; he’s been studying the reasons for Liverpool’s recent dominance and Mane in particular.

He ranks Mane among the top five finishers in the world”He can stop and start faster than anybody I’ve ever seen,” Brundish told CNN Sport via Webex.”His conversion rate is 28%, that’s even better than Lionel Messi at his best,” adds Brundish, who says Mane can be mentioned in the same breath as English football legends Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer and also Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski — currently regarded as the best out and out finisher in the world.”That’s not at all bad for someone who plays as a winger, halfway up the pitch,” says Brundish.

Almost always available

He’s also outperforming expectations for his creativity; Brundish says that this season Mane has provided double the amount of assists than he did before. But arguably his biggest asset is something that goes unnoticed, because it’s just so obvious — he’s almost always available.”The whole Liverpool recruitment process is ahead of its time.

They’re recruiting players that have a history of playing two games a week, who cover 10.5 kilometers per game and who can cover more than 400 meters of high speed running in every game. These are the things that cause injury, but he’s only picked up two significant injuries at Liverpool, missing six and nine games.”The more Brundish talks, the more Mane is starting to sound like he’s super-human.”My kids are big Liverpool fans and they talk about Mane a lot.

We’re often laughing at how he manages to fall and bounce back up in one motion. As if he’s made of rubber-ball material. It’s genetics. Some people are lucky with it, some people are not.”Mane’s ability, and Liverpool’s ability to identify him and others like him is reminiscent of the 2000 movie ‘Unbreakable’, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson.The basic premise is that Jackson’s character Elijah Price is trying to find a superhero and by causing widespread death and destruction, he’s hoping to reveal somebody unbreakable.

It’s a macabre project, which ultimately leads him to the indestructible David Dunn, played by Willis.”I think it’s a great analogy,” Brundish concurs. “Mane is a great example of Liverpool’s recruitment policy of finding these unbreakable superheroes.”In the last two years, Liverpool have had the highest availability of their first 11, which is incredibly valuable in the Premier League. Availability is the most under-rated, but highly valued, of abilities.”

‘Everyone’s allowed to dream’

Mane is adored by Liverpool fans all over the world, but he is revered back home in Bambali.When Kay went to visit last year, the football writer watched the Liverpool game against Manchester City — Mane scored — in the family home, which Mane has built for them.

“Watching with them was such a warm feeling,” Kay told CNN, “the sense of pride they have is just enormous.”Nobody could tell Kay how many family members lived in the house, but says it was “grandparents, nephews, nieces, cousins and aunties. An uncle said it was ‘about 40.’

“Kay said the family was just as gratified by the local facilities, which Sadio had provided. “I think they got equal pride in taking me to the school he had built, the hospital he had built.

He lost his father to illness because there wasn’t a hospital in Bambali, now there can’t be many villages of that size in Africa that are as well equipped.””Made in Senegal” concludes with scenes of Sadio being mobbed by many of those villagers in Bambali.

His final words are: “You have to dream in life. Everyone’s allowed to dream.”Thanks to his determination, his example and his generosity, there are now many more dreams in Bambali that have a chance of coming true.