“I was ready to die for Senegal”, says Sadio Mane 

Sadio Mane of Senegal and Riyad Mahrez of Algeria
Sadio Mane of Senegal and Riyad Mahrez of Algeria - IMAGO / Xinhua

Sadio Mane has revealed he was so desperate to represent his country during the Africa Cup of Nations that he was prepared to put his life on the line.

The Senegalese forward, who completed a move to Bayern Munich this summer, won the 2020 AFCON with Senegal this year. He played a crucial role as the West African nation won their first AFCON trophy, even scoring the winning penalty goal against Egypt. 

But this could have been different for him and Senegal if he had listened to his then employers, Liverpool

Mane suffered a concussion during the last-16 game against Cape Verde in January, with a collision with Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, leading to him leaving the field shortly after scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 victory.

He was advised to spend at least five days resting by Liverpool, who were keen to see protocols followed. But the 30-year-old was desperate to lead his nation to glory and made it clear to doctors and coaches that he would make the quarter-finals at any cost, even declaring that he would take full responsibility if he died on the field.

Speaking to Pro-Direct Soccer France via GOAL, Mane spoke of his determination not to miss any matches for Senegal: 

“When I got injured against Cape Verde, and I had a concussion, I never talked about it that day.

“Liverpool put pressure on the federation and wrote a letter to FIFA that I needed at least five days’ rest. So that meant I was to miss the quarter-finals.

“Our national team doctor also had to follow those rules. When they told me that, I called the coach and told him, ‘The doctor does not want me to play, but you have to put me in the starting 11’.

“I called the federation president and told him we need to have a meeting because I have to play. I could give up my life.

“I said, ‘I know I shouldn’t play, but let us have a contract. It will be my responsibility. I will sign’.

“If I die, they have to say it is my fault. No one’s fault. They said, ‘Sadio, you cannot play’, but I said ‘no, no, it is out of the question’.

“It was around 1 am or 2 am, everyone panicked and I said, ‘coach, I know even you are scared. Just write a letter that says I played voluntarily in case I die or whatever happens’. Everyone was tense.

“I did not sign the paper, but they finally said ‘no, no, it’s not possible,’ but I was ready to do it, so the doctor said, ‘Okay, let us do a scan in the morning on the day of the match’.

“In the morning, we did the scan, we sent it to the Confederation of African Football, they checked with the doctor, there was nothing so the doctor said ‘Okay, you can play’ because to see me sign a paper would be complicated for him as well. Thank God everything went well.”

After being cleared to face Equatorial Guinea, Mane helped Senegal to a 3-1 victory.