FIFA World Cup 2026 star: Senegal's Sadio Mane – Unforgettable journey from Liverpool to Al-Nassr

Had he been a famous singer, he would have been famous enough to hold a solo 'residency' in Las Vegas - such is the legendary status of Senegal's Sadio Mane. The 34-year-old, who still plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, still hasn't lost that youthful dynamism with which he approaches football.

When he left the Senegalese village of Bambali to join the Generation Food Academy in Dakar at the age of 15, nothing was guaranteed to him. A long and challenging road lay ahead. But Mane made that path a success story. From there he moved up to the first team, starting with the 'B' team at Metz club in France. In 2012, Red Bull Salzburg invited him to Austria. In three seasons there, he scored 45 goals and provided 32 assists in 87 appearances, playing a key role in winning two consecutive league titles and two Austrian Cups.

Those numbers caught the eye of Southampton, England. In 2014, he stepped into the Premier League. A 'hot-trick' against Aston Villa in May 2015 in just 2 minutes 56 seconds - the fastest in Premier League history to date. This was one of the key films that led him to Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp, who is said to have missed chances in the past during Borussia Dortmund, did not miss this time. In the summer of 2016, Liverpool signed Mane from Southampton for £34 million. Although there were initial criticisms of 'overspending', Mane's on-field runs to the net, piercing hair, precise assists to teammates - all quelled those doubts.

At Liverpool, Mane's trio of Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah rocked the Premier League and Champions League. 120 goals, 46 assists in 269 appearances for club; Six trophies in six seasons; Three Champions League finals – victory over Tottenham in Madrid in 2019. Liverpool went on to lift the European Cup in 2019 after a goalless defeat against Real Madrid at the end of 2018 in Kiev. In the same season, the bitterly missed out on the league title by a single point, followed by a 30-year wait for the Premier League title in 2019–20. In that league season alone, Mane scored 18 goals and provided 9 assists in 35 games.

Mane, who started as a right winger when he arrived at Liverpool, switched to the left wing when Salah arrived. Whatever the side, his 'work-rate' and constant menace remain unchanged. But it's true that some titles have slipped away for Liverpool since Pep Guardiola's Manchester City era.

In 2022, after a Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid in Paris (in the same season they won the FA Cup, League Cup; missed out on the title in the Premier League on the final day), Mane bid farewell to Liverpool for a new challenge at Bayern Munich. Despite clinching the Bundesliga title in his first season there on a dramatic final day, he failed to match expectations with 12 goals and 6 assists in 38 appearances.

He then bid farewell to Europe and joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr. Here he has scored 51 goals in three seasons and shines in impact alongside stars including Cristiano Ronaldo.

Beyond his on-field triumphs, Mane has also given back to the community by funding rehabilitation projects like a hospital, school and football stadium for his hometown Bambali. Considered Senegal's all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 54 goals in 125 appearances for the national team; He is also next to Idrissa Gueye in the list of most capped players.

Mane now has his eyes set on the FIFA World Cup 2026 — possibly one last time. He is all set to produce 'star' moments again on the second World Cup stage. As Senegal's hopes continue to wave, fans will expect Mane's experience and energy to take them far.