Sadio Mane joins Bayern Munich, leaving a Liverpool legend with a Premier League record that may never be broken
Bayern Munich have completed the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool for £35m.
The 30-year-old Senegalese forward has signed a three-year deal subsequently ending an eight-year Premier League stint which saw him register 111 goals across 263 appearances.
He told Bayern Munich’s official website: “I’m really happy to finally be at FC Bayern in Munich. We spoke a lot and I felt big interest from this great club right from the beginning, so for me there were no doubts. It’s the right time for this challenge. I want to achieve a lot with this club, in Europe too. During my time in Salzburg I watched a lot of Bayern games – I really like this club!”
Looks good on you, Sadio! 🔴⚪
📰 https://t.co/vaC4kmp2VB#ServusMané #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/UGr56XqqEt
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) June 22, 2022
Mane initially joined Southampton, after breaking through at Red Bull Salzburg, before opting for Liverpool following interest from Manchester United. Under the leadership of Jurgen Klopp he would forge an impressive front-three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino which in turn saw the Reds reach three European Cup finals, winning one, as well as ending the club’s near three-decade championship drought.
Further silverware came in the season just gone as Mane was part of Liverpool’s successful EFL Cup and FA Cup sides. Both games against Chelsea went to penalties, Mane was hauled off before the former but took a spot kick at Wembley last month — his effort was saved by compatriot Édouard Mendy. Only a few months earlier the pair were celebrating Africa Cup of Nations success at Egypt’s expense. It was Senegal’s first continental silverware after falling at the final hurdle on two previous occasions. That game also went to penalties with Mane registering the winning spotkick.
A fan favourite at Anfield, where he’s never lost a league game when scoring, Mane becomes Bayern’s third major acquisition this summer after Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch, both of whom having played for Ajax last season. During the 2021/22 season Mane managed 16 goals in 34 league matches — only Harry Kane (17), Cristiano Ronaldo (18), Heung-min Son (23) and teammate Salah (23) finished ahead of him in the Premier League Golden Boot rankings.
In fact since moving to Liverpool only Kane (134), Salah (118) and Jamie Vardy (104) have produced more Premier League goals than Mane (90) who truly announced himself at Southampton where he netted the league’s fastest-ever hat-trick when he managed a treble in 2 minutes 56 seconds in a 6-1 win over Aston Villa during Southampton’s final home match of the 2014/15 season.
His departure will be sated by Darwin Núñez’s arrival. The young Uruguayan forward was recently acquired for a reported initial sum of £64m. He will subsequently join winter 2022 signing Luis Díaz — also recruited from Portugal’s top division — Diogo Jota, Firmino and Salah as members of Klopp’s attack heading into the 2022/23 campaign.
As for his new surroundings Mane could potentially not line up alongside Robert Lewandowski as the feared Polish marksman, who has one year left on his current Bayern deal, is pushing for an exit with Barcelona keen to make him their latest big signing. Mane nevertheless joins a Munich attack consisting of Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Thomas Müller with attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala another option on the flanks.
It’s a new chapter and one that he’s excited to undertake, recently speaking about when he first heard Bayern were interested in his services.
“When my agent first told me about Bayern’s interest, I was immediately excited,” Mane told German publication Bild.
“I saw myself there right away. For me it was the right club at the right time.
“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the team is always fighting for every title. So for me it was a very good idea and the right decision to come here.
“My agent told me that there were enquiries from other clubs. That’s part of the business.
“But I got the feeling right away when Bayern presented their plan to me. I found myself in Bayern’s plan more than anyone else.”
He added: “Every kid wants to win the Champions League, every football player in the world. I’m with a very, very competitive team now.
“But it’s still a bit early to talk about the Champions League final, we haven’t even played a game together yet. Nevertheless we will give everything to get into the final.”
Bayern, the defending Bundesliga champions, begin their defence — and quest for an 11th consecutive league title — on the road at Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt on August 5.
