If Sadio Mane, the talisman and striker from Senegal, had consented to his late father’s wishes, he might have missed out on a glittering football career.
Because his father, a practicing Muslim, wanted his son to concentrate on his religious studies, the 33-year-old was told to avoid playing football as a child.
Mane, who would become an African football icon, revealed this to a senior Confederation of African Football (CAF) official.
The two-time African player of the year emphasized his love for his father and how devastated he was when his parents passed away, even though there were many different opinions about football.
My father would always tell me how proud he was of me when I was younger. He had a big heart, and he was. He passed away, affecting both me and the rest of my family, Mane said.
I told myself, “I must now try my best to assist my mother,” I said. When you are so young, that is difficult to deal with.
But he was successful, joining clubs in France, Austria, England, Germany, and Saudi Arabia and contributing to his nation’s first-ever AFCON victory in 2002.
Mane joined Southampton in 2014 after spending time with Metz and Salzburg, and his 176-second hat-trick against Aston Villa is still the fastest in Premier League history.
After the 2028 edition, the Africa Cup of Nations will be held every four years.
Mane joined Liverpool after two seasons with the Saints, where he worked alongside Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, who helped bring many awards to Anfield.
The silverware haul included the League Cup, Premier League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and League Cup.
Mane spent one season with Bayern Munich before moving on to the lucrative Saudi Pro League with the Reds.
Happy memories  ,
In Yaounde, Mane converted the spot kick that earned Senegal the glory in the 2022 AFCON final despite Egypt’s goalless 2022 final.
Victory was especially heartening because the Teranga Lions had already advanced to the previous AFCON final in Cairo three years prior, but they had already conceded after just two minutes and lost to Algeria with a score of 1-0.
However, Senegal was unable to win back-to-back titles in 2024, falling to hosts and eventual champion Ivory Coast in a round-of-16 encounter on penalties.
At the Moroccan AFCON in Morocco, which begins on Sunday, they have been drawn with Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Benin in Group D.
The Senegalese, who defeated the Congolese 3-2 in Kinshasa in October to advance to the 2026 World Cup, will bring back happy memories of the encounter.
Mane did not score in the capital of DR Congo, but he did score twice in a 4-0 home victory over Mauritania that earned him a spot in the World Cup.
Mane led the World Cup qualifiers with five goals, one more than Pape Matar Sarr’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur in that country, scoring 22.
When head coach Pape Thiaw chooses his strikers, Senegal are left with a lot of options.
Some of the options include Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace, Mane of Al Nasr, Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea, Iliman Ndiaye of Everton, and Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea.
Ibrahim Mbaye, 17, from Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning champion of the Champions League, made his international debut last month in a friendly defeat by Brazil.
In another AFCON warm-up match, he scored twice to make Senegal the youngest scorer, beating Kenya 8-0.
A timely reminder to AFCON rivals that Mane’s hat-trick against the east Africans has not diminished his predatory instincts.
Many observers have favored Senegal to win the tournament once more in Morocco, and Mane will likely play a crucial role if they succeed.
“We are among the favorites, and we are confident in that.” In the Senegalese squad that advanced to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, Thiaw said, “I want a team that dominates.”
Source: Channels TV
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