Senegalese forward Sadio Mane has a new club in the form of Bayern Munich, having joined the German from Liverpool this summer. However, if it was for Lionel Messi, Mane would’ve joined Barcelona last summer.
Mane’s agent Bacary Cissé has revealed that Messi wanted the Liverpool forward at Barcelona last summer while the Argentine was also at the club. In fact, one of the conditions that Messi had put forth for signing a new contract with Barca was the recruitment of Mane.
“Last year it could have also happened with FC Barcelona. It was Lionel Messi who imposed Sadio Mané in the deal when it was a question of him extending [with] Barça. He had given two names: Sadio Mané and an Argentinian central defender,” Mane’s agent was quoted as saying by RMC Sport.
Since Messi himself couldn’t extend his stay at the club over club’s financial struggles, Mane too remained at Liverpool for another season. Messi also wanted fellow countryman Cristian Romero at the club but that move didn’t take place either. Romero now plays for English football club Tottenham Hotspur while Mane has penned a 3-year-deal with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Messi himself failed to stay at Barca, his childhood club. After the Catalans couldn’t offer him a new contract, Messi was roped in by French champions Paris Saint-Germain as a free-agent. The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner didn’t have the best of campaigns at PSG, failing to live up to the standards he himself had set over the years.
As far as Mane is concerned, the Senegalese is considered one of the best forwards in the globe. He signed for Bayern Munich having expressed his desire to take on a new challenge. Mane had done very well for Liverpool over his 6-year-long stay at Anfield, winning the Champions League and the Premier League once each.
