Liverpool completed what many outlets are reporting as their ‘marquee signing’ of the summer when they announced the capture of Sadio Mane on Tuesday.
Having spent two years with Southampton in the Premier League, the 24-year-old won’t be a stranger to everyone, and many will remember him for the four goals he scored against the Reds last season.
But for those that know very little about the Senegal international, Ashley Thornton-Jones has put together a few facts to introduce you to Liverpool’s new star man:
1. Mane was born on April 10, 1992 in the Senagelese town of Sedihou, which has a population of just 24,213 – about 5% that of Liverpool.
2. He began his professional career at Metz, before moving on to Red Bull Salzburg, where he scored 31 goals in 63 appearances and won the Austrian domestic double.
3. Mane then moved on to Southampton in an £11.8 million deal, and averaged a goal every three games in two years at the club.
4. He has already notched up five professional career hat-tricks – three for Red Bull Salzburg (vs Kalsdorf, Grodig & Horn) and two for Southampton (vs Aston Villa and Manchester City).
5. His treble versus Aston Villa in the 14/15 season set a new record for the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick at 2 minutes 56 seconds, beating Robbie Fowler’s efforts for Liverpool against Arsenal in 1994 by 1 minute 37 seconds.
6. Mane has been capped 36 times by his native Senegal, scoring 10 goals, and is their leading goalscorer in 2017 African Cup of Nations Qualifying with three goals in five games.
7. He also represented Senegal at the 2012 London Olympics and was part of the side that held Great Britain to a 1-1 draw in the Group Stages at Old Trafford.
