Sadio Mane and Senegal are Champions of Africa. The Liverpool man took the winning penalty as his nation lifted the trophy for the very first time last night.
Of course there was a familiar face for Mane to meet in the final: Liverpool teammate and fellow superstar of the continent Mohamed Salah.
The two have butted heads at times whilst playing for Liverpool. But the respect they have for each other is crystal clear.
This was shown after full-time yesterday. Having just fired home the penalty that secured his team the trophy, Mane could be forgiven for being lost in the moment.
But as the celebrations erupted around him, the 29-year-old sought out his Liverpool teammate, Salah. Mane offered an arm around the shoulder and some words of consolation to the visibly upset Egyptian.
The two players carried the hopes of their respective country’s on their shoulders throughout the tournament. It was cruel that only one could emerge as the winner.
Signing people as well as players
It is well documented what Jurgen Klopp values in a player. Everyone knows that the German loves high energy players who can press like their life depends on it.
But he also values the human traits of players, perhaps even more so than their on pitch qualities.
Klopp likes to sign players who have something to prove. He relishes working with those who have had to work incredibly hard for everything they have. The signing of Luis Diaz is another example of that.
The £37.5m Colombian grew up “ridiculously skinny” as a result of malnutrition having come from a very poor background (The Athletic).
Mane shows why Klopp loves him
Mane is perhaps the shining example of this. He travelled nearly 200 miles from his hometown in Senegal to the capital Dakar as a 15-year-old to play football.
Having reached the Premier League and the riches that come with it, Mane has never forgotten his humble beginnings.
Just last summer he donated £500,000 to help build a hospital in his hometown of Bambali (CNN).
These kind of acts, as well as those of Salah, who donated an oxygen tank to an Egyptian hospital to help with their response to Covid-19 (Egypt Independent) are what makes these players truly special.
Klopp said before the game that he wished both his player’s could win last night’s final.
“What can I do there. I watch it and I hope they both get through safely and healthy. But I wish it (for) both of them, they can’t get it both, it’s a big one, one will be over the moon and one will be very disappointed,” said Klopp via beIN Sport after Liverpool beat Cardiff City 3-1 yesterday.
The manager will have no doubt been delighted to see Mane brush off his penalty miss earlier in the game to fire Senegal to glory in the shootout.
But Mane’s consoling of his defeated Liverpool teammate at full-time will have given him even greater pride.
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