Sadio Mane is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Premier League club Liverpool and the Senegal national team. Born in Sedhiou, Senegal, he grew up in an impoverished family in the small village of Bambali. He was inspired to pursue a career in football after he saw his country’s team perform well at the 2002 World Cup. He later made his debut for the French club Metz. Eventually, he joined the Red Bull Salzburg, an Austrian football club. He led them to win the Austrian Bundesliga as well as the Austrian Cup. He was later signed by Southampton, where he set a record the next year by scoring the fastest hat-trick. In 2016, he transferred to Liverpool for around 34 million euros. This made him the most expensive African player of that time. Sadio Mane has also played for the Senegalese national team, helping them reach the quarter finals of the 2012 Olympic tournament. He also played for the national team at the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, and 2018 FIFA World Cup. In 2020, Sadio Mane was included in New African magazine's Top 100 most influential Africans list.
