Liverpool striker Sadio Mané will only reveal his future plans after Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid, the Senegal international said on Thursday.
Sadio Mané, who joined Liverpool in 2016 and scored more than 120 goals for the Premier League club, was considering leaving Jürgen Klopp’s side in search of a new challenge, British media have reported.
“This question, I will answer it after the (final) of the Champions League, if I stay or not, Sadio Mané, who has one year of contract left, told Sky Sports. What I mean now is that I am fully focused on the Champions League and winning it, which is far more important to me and the Liverpool fans. This is the answer I have to give before the final. But come back to me on Saturday and I’ll give you the best answer you want to hear, that’s for sure. It is special. Then I’ll give you whatever you want to hear.”
The 30-year-old has underlined his full commitment to Liverpool for the final, which is a rematch of the 2018 title-clinching game that Real Madrid won 3-1 in Kyiv. “I will do everything absolutely possible to win the game for Liverpool. I think we all forgot what happened in 2018. For sure, Real Madrid were the best team back then and deserved to win the game, but it will be a different game.
Mane is among the favorites for this season’s Ballon d’Or after leading Senegal to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations and lifting the League Cup and FA Cup with Liverpool. He said he would be delighted to become the first African to win the award since Liberian George Weah in 1995. “This cup, the Africa Cup of Nations, is the biggest trophy I have won in my life. . For me, it would be even more special to have another bonus which is the Ballon d’Or, and I would be the happiest player in the world.”
