For Sadio Mané, playing at Liverpool is basically a dream come true.
Speaking to France Football ahead of the African Cup of Nations, Jürgen Klopp’s big summer signing admitted that, ever since he was a kid, he always wanted to ‘become a pro and play in a big club’.
Having now fulfilled his dream, the 24-year-old is enjoying life thoroughly on Merseyside, playing some of his best football under a manager who has been after his signature ever since he emerged at Red Bull Salzburg in Austria back in 2012.
Revealing he ‘didn’t hesitate for very long’ when the German manager rang a second time, this time wanting to bring him to Liverpool, the Senegal international is also extremely proud to have followed in the footsteps of two of his idols by joining the Reds.
Both El-Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao came and went before him at Anfield, and while they aren’t always remembered that fondly, that doesn’t bother him.
Explaining the duo ‘paved the way for young Senegalese footballers who want to play for big clubs’, Mané still feels as if he has everything to prove at Anfield, and reserved special words for the 54000 fans who gather in the stadium to see him play every other week.
He said: “For now, everything is going fine with the club and the fans. There’s nothing more motivating than playing at Anfield and hearing the fans screaming your name. I think they like me”.
With nine goals and seven assists in 21 appearances so far this season, it’s fair to say that, yes, Liverpool fans are enjoying having the former Southampton star in their team, and so is Jürgen Klopp.
