Sadio Mane sent his teammates a heartwarming message via his Instagram account after the Lions where eliminated by England from Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The Bayern Munich star was unable to compete in the tournament in Qatar due to a knee ailment.
Following Sunday night’s 3-0 loss to England, Mane wrote an emotional message on Instagram after Senegal was eliminated.
He stated: “Dear brothers, the people are very proud of your journey and you have put the balm in the hearts of Senegalese and all supporters by defending the national flag with dignity.”
“Continue learning and good luck. We will go in search of more trophies Inshallah.”
The unavailability of injured Mane, the two-time African player of the year with 34 goals in 93 caps for his nation, was a crushing blow to the African champions.
The team, which played in Qatar without the former Liverpool player, scored four goals throughout the competition and defeated Egypt on penalties to win this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite having his participation in the competition put on hold due to a knee injury, Mane followed the progress of the Senegal’s team keenly throughout the team’s stay in the tournament.
Note that Mane sustained a knee injury during Bayern’s 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen last month.
Sadio Mane
Senegalese professional footballer Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992) plays forward for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Senegal national team.
He is renowned for his pushing, dribbling, and pace. He is regarded as one of the best players in the world and among the greatest African players of all time.
Mané started his professional career at the age of 19 with Ligue 2 club Metz, but left after just one season to join Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in 2012 for a sum of €4 million. In the 2013–14 season, Red Bull Salzburg won the domestic league and cup double.
Later in the same summer, Mané moved to Southampton of England for a then-club-record cost of £11.8 million.
In a 6-1 victory over Aston Villa in 2015, he established a new Premier League record for the quickest hat-trick, scoring all three goals in 176 seconds.
Mané joined Liverpool, a rival Premier League team, in 2016, reportedly for a cost of £34 million. In 2018 and 2019, he assisted the team in reaching the UEFA Champions League Final, which they went on to win.
In addition, he tied for the league lead in goals scored in 2018–19, earning the Premier League Golden Boot.
Mané then assisted Liverpool in winning the 2019–20 Premier League, ending their 30-year league title drought. He became the third African to achieve the 100-goal mark in the Premier League in October 2021.
In the 2019 and 2022 Ballon d’Or competitions, Mané placed fourth and second, respectively. In The Best FIFA Men’s Player competition, he placed fifth in 2019 and fourth in 2020.
Injury Update
English fans are familiar with Sadio Mane because he made an impact for Southampton in the Premier League before helping Jurgen Klopp establish Liverpool as a dominant force in both domestic and European soccer.
On November 8, Mane left the field limping after Bayern Munich defeated Werder Bremen 6-1.
Mane, according to Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann “had the head of his tibia struck, and it’s always uncomfortable. He must undergo an X-ray. I hope everything is okay “.
There is no anticipated return date for Mane yet, but Bayern confirmed that he would begin his recovery in Munich a few days following his treatment.
“Sadio Mane underwent successful surgery,” the club said shortly after his absence from the World Cup was confirmed. “During the operation, a tendon was re-attached to the head of his right fibula.”
The good news for Mane and his team is that he has more than six weeks to heal before they host third-placed RB Leipzig on January 20, 2023, in their next Bundesliga match.
Mane At Senegal
At the international level, Mané has tallied 34 goals in 93 games for Senegal since making his debut in 2012. He now holds the highest scoring and appearance records for his country.
He participated in the 2012 Olympics, the 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, all while representing Senegal.
Mané assisted Senegal in finishing as runners-up in the 2019 competition, and a year later, he was named African Footballer of the Year.
Mané was named the Player of the Tournament and netted the game-winning penalty kick in the 2021 final to give Senegal its first Africa Cup of Nations victory.
He received his second African Player of the Year award in 2022. Mané also represented his country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was only its second time participating in the event.
