‘People called me Ronaldinho in my village!’, says Sadio Mane
What's the story?
Liverpool star Sadio Mane has opened up about his the kind of legacy he'd like to leave at the Merseyside club, his journey to Anfield and how he was named his village's Ronaldinho.
In case you didn't know...
The 26-year-old forward moved to Liverpool in a £34 million transfer from Southampton in 2016 and has only recently penned down a new contract that ties him down to the club until 2023.
Mane has emerged to be an integral part of Liverpool's front three, scoring 40 goals in 90 appearances for the club so far. Together with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, the forward has been wreaking havoc up front.
The heart of the matter
In an exclusive interview with Soccer Bible, Mane has opened up about his journey into professional football and how people in his village compared him to Ronaldinho.
When asked about the kind of legacy he'd like to leave at Liverpool, he said, "Honestly, I’m someone who’s not looking too much at this [legacy] kind of thing."
"But of course, it’s part of football. But I don’t care too much about this kind of thing."
"I’m someone who has ambition and who loves what he’s doing and I always want more and I’ll try to give everything to get more and more."
Mane also revealed that people in his hometown of Sedhiou in Sengal used to compare him to Brazilian legend Ronaldinho.
"I was well known in my village because everyone used to say that I played very well and like Ronaldinho, and they even called me Ronaldinho in my village!"
"People came to see me from nearby villages and cities because they had heard my name and they were surprised about how people talked about me."
"Also, people came from Dakar, the capital. Finally, I got to go to the capital and I’d hear how people were talking about me, and they’d come to watch me to try to know me and of course, I was famous!"
"Honestly, they never thought I was going to be football player. I understand them because before me the village had some great players and no one had the chance to become a football player."
What's next?
Following their Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool turn their attention to the Premier League where they are set to face Everton in a derby on Sunday.