Sadio Mane turned down the chance to reunite with some of his former Liverpool team-mates in favour of joining forces with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
Mane left Liverpool for Bayern Munich in a move that didn’t work out for the German club or the player, with Thomas Tuchel satisfied enough to let him leave this summer.
Despite struggling at Bayern, Mane remains a man in demand and he soon found his phone ringing off the hook with some former team-mates doing their clubs’ bidding.
‘I spoke with (Roberto) Firmino and I think he wanted me to come to the wrong club… I’m joking!’ Mane laughed. ‘He called two or three times to convince me to come to Al-Ahli…
‘At the same time I spoke with Fabinho because he was quite close to me and he also wanted me to come to Al-Ittihad, but I chose Al-Nassr.’
Sadio Mane (left) has teamed up with Cristiano Ronaldo after making a move to Al-Nassr
Roberto Firmino (left, at Liverpool) and Fabinho (right) were both trying to recruit Mane, having themselves made the switch to the Saudi Pro League earlier this summer
Mane also added that he had been sent well wishes from another former team-mate in Jordan Henderson.
‘Of course Henderson is here also, and he sent me a message two days ago to wish me good luck and I’m excited to meet all these great guys and also to meet them face to face for the first time,’ he said. ‘I’m going to win against you guys!’
The chance to play with Ronaldo proved too enticing an option to turn down and the winger has signed a contract with Al-Nassr that will run until 2027, earning himself £650,000-a-week.
There must have been some temptation to link up with some of his former team-mates given his own success at Anfield.
Mane enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Liverpool after joining from Southampton in 2016.
He scored 120 goals in 269 games for Liverpool and won the Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup as well as the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Alongside Firmino he was part of a devastating three-pronged attack that also included Mohamed Salah.
Now he is in Saudi, but speaking of his Bayern exit, Mane told Sky Sports: ‘Leaving FC Bayern hurts me. I would have wished for a different ending.
‘I know that I could have helped the team this season. I wanted to prove it to everyone this season.
‘Nevertheless, I only wish the club and the fans the best for the future.’
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