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Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane has opened up about his childhood heroes, saying he used to look up to Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and former Senegal forward El Hadji Diouf.
Mane, who recently penned a three-year deal at the Allianz Arena, joined the Bundesliga champions from Liverpool in a deal worth up to £35.1 million this summer. He scored on his club debut in Bayern's 5-3 DFL Supercup win over RB Leipzig.
Speaking to the club's website, Mane reflected on his childhood as he reminisced his footballing idols. He said:
"My idols back then were Ronaldinho and El Hadji Diouf from Senegal. They were outstanding players. I watched videos of them for hours and tried to imitate everything they did."
The 30-year-old continued:
"My mother gave me an El Hadji Diouf jersey, and when I was a bit older, I bought one of Ronaldinho's myself. I worked extra, earned money and saved up for it. It was a dream to wear his name on the back. I didn't even want to take the jerseys off. I wore a different one every day."
When asked whether he feels being a global star himself, Mane added:
"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."
Earlier in July, Mane was crowned the CAF African Men's Player of the Year for a second time. Having first won the honour in 2019, Mane finished ahead of former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah from Egypt and fellow Senegal international and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy this time.
Fabinho opens up on Bayern Munich conversations with Sadio Mane
Speaking to The Athletic, Fabinho shed some light on his conversations with the Senegal international before his departure. He said:
"At the end of the season, I spoke a lot with Sadio. He told me about the situation that he could leave. I was always saying to him, 'Come on Sadio, stay here. You can win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League right here, don't leave.' But I think he had already made his mind up. We had to respect that."
He added:
"Sadio had a really good story in a Liverpool shirt. He played for six years here, and during that time, he won everything you can win, and he decided that he wanted a new challenge. That's okay. Losing Sadio is a big loss. He was one of our best players, but it’s something that we can't change."
In six seasons with the Reds, the Senegalese won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, registering 120 goals and 48 assists in 269 appearances across competitions.
