He left the village in tattered sneakers at the age of 15 and embarked on a 3,500-mile journey to say goodbye to Africa at the age of 19.
It took 10 years to struggle, from a boy in rural Africa to a "Liverpool thigh".
Unconsciously, after his 30th birthday, Mane equaled Drogba's goal record in the Champions League knockout rounds.
Will he be considered the first man in African football one day in the future? Recognized or not, Mane has written one of the most inspiring stories on the pitch over the past 15 years.
01. A 15-year-old farmer wears a pair of broken sneakers
Born in rural Senegal, although his father was the leader of the village, Mane did not want to inherit his family business because he had dreams of becoming a professional footballer.
The family of 10 never supported Mane's plans. "Playing football was a waste of time in the eyes of my parents."
Mane talked about the situation at the beginning, and he also smiled bitterly. Fortunately, at the age of 15, his uncle gave him help, drove 250 miles, and took Mane to Dakar, senegal, for a trial.
At the famous local "Football for Generations" academy, Mane was exposed to "real football". However, the coach of the training camp at that time saw Mane's first words, and actually said: "Dressed like this, how can you become a player?!" ”
As a result, it only took Mane 15 minutes to change his mind and sign the genius directly. Within a few years, Mane had attracted the attention of European scouts. France's Metz took the 19-year-old Star of Africa out of that continent.
It is 250 miles out of the village, but the dream road after leaving Africa is 3500 miles (the distance between Dakar and Metz). For this reason, Mane did not call his mother until he arrived safely in France.
"Which France?" Mane's mother didn't believe it was true. Even if Manet patiently explained, "It's the Same France in Europe." Mom still refused to believe, "What Europe?" You live in Senegal! This is crazy! ”
Although she did not want her son to become a professional player, after learning that Mane had gone to Europe, she never even dared to watch Mane's game, but she would insist on calling him every day to find out how well Mane was doing. This may be maternal love, not asking you to be famous, but worrying about whether you are lonely.
There is a way: children travel thousands of miles mother worried, do not go to the hometown Weishui stream. The cold dew and autumn wind will be called again, but the cold and warm will be remembered.
02. Teenagers who love Chinese kung fu: changed their fate because of the Olympics
Between Mane and China, it can be said that the fate is not shallow. When he played for Metz that year, the team's academy had a Chinese genius --- Wang Chu, who was on a par with Pjanic.
In those years, Metz's youth training camp, there were many Chinese journalists coming and going. At that time, Mane wanted to take a photo and send it to his mother, so Jean asked the Chinese reporter for help and repeatedly confirmed: "This is free, right?" ”
In order to get the photo sent back to his mother from the email, he had to complete a 90° bow to every Chinese reporter he met.
From the time he first came to Africa, until now becoming a big star, Mane's biggest hobby is watching TV dramas. He is a fan of Jackie Chan, and Chinese kung fu films are the genre he chooses the most.
In order to make himself successful, from coming to Europe until now becoming a Liverpool thigh, Mane did not eat any junk food, not even touch the pizza. Day after day like an ascetic, Mane didn't even know how to play video games.
Once, when Mane told reporters about his secret to maintaining his state, he triggered a cry of exclamation: "After getting tired after training, my most accustomed choice is to go to sleep." ”
At the age of 20, Mane had the most pivotal year of his career, when he had just become a major player in Metz, but the team was relegated in Ligue 2.
Fortunately, because of his outstanding performance at the Olympic Games, Mane was favored by Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg and from there successfully made his debut in the Premier League.
03. Liverpool thigh: Africa's first man in the Champions League at the age of 30
When Klopp decided to buy Mane for £34m, few believed he would succeed. Even before that, he scored twice against Liverpool and scored a hat-trick against Manchester City.
However, when Mane meets Klopp and Salah, a red heavy metal rock song resounds throughout British football.
The 2018-19 Premier League Golden Boot, the 2019 African Footballer of the Year, a Champions League Gold Cup and a Premier League winner who broke Liverpool's zero!
In 2021, Mane's state has declined somewhat, and at one point people questioned how old he really is (in Mane's hometown, many people do not know their true date of birth).
As a result, in 2022, Mane once again proved his excellence. He first defeated Salah at the African Cup of Nations to win the title, and then led Senegal to eliminate Egypt to win the World Cup regular place.
Back in the Premier League, Mane scored with a barb to keep his Premier League goals behind Drogba.
However, the good drama is still to come, the Champions League knockout rounds against Benfica and Villarreal, Mane scored consecutive goals to tie drogba, becoming the continent's most goalscoring player in the history of the Champions League.
Conclusion
After becoming a soccer star, Mane's father forgave his early decision to leave home, but warned Mane that "no ostentatious hairstyles" were allowed. So Mane, who still retains his short black hair, is still a humble big boy from Africa.
Now that he is following Liverpool towards the goal of four titles, can Mane realize his dream? For people who work hard and are disciplined, everything is really possible.