Sadio Mane joins Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after completing £34m move from Bayern Munich… with winger announced in bizarre video featuring new chant in his honour
- Sadio Mane has become the latest player to make the move to Saudi Arabia
- The Senegal star, 31, has joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr for a £34m fee
- He leaves Bayern Munich after a disastrous year since arriving from Liverpool
Al-Nassr have confirmed the signing of Sadio Mane for £34m, bringing the Senegal star’s disastrous spell at Bayern Munich to an end.
Mane, 31, will join up with Cristiano Ronaldo’s side in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr having already added the likes of Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles this summer.
The forward only moved to Bayern for £35m last year, but struggled to settle in Germany and scored just 12 goals for the club, while he also had a high-profile falling-out with teammate Leroy Sane.
Mane now becomes the the latest in a long line of top talents from Europe’s top five leagues to make the switch to Saudi Arabia, with the 31-year-old set to pocket a staggering £34m-a-year (£650,000-a-week).
And in a video released by the Saudi club, Mane’s arrival was announced to the tune of a new chant for the former Liverpool star with fans chanting: ‘Sadio. MANE. Running down the wing. MANE. Hear Nassrawis sing. MANE. We’re all bouncing in Riyadh!’
Al-Nassr have confirmed the signing of Sadio Mane, 31, from Bayern Munich for £34m
It brings a premature end to the forward’s disastrous spell with the Bundesliga champions
He will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at the Saudi Pro League side, who came second last year
Mane also featured in the rather bizarre clip where he could be seen dancing along to the song and encouraging the music, before he finished the video with the words: ‘Can’t wait to hear from you in the stadium, see you here’!
His departure from Bayern comes despite extremely high expectations upon joining the Bavarians.
Having won every trophy possible during six memorable years under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Mane seemed set to feature in one of the most dynamic and vibrant attacking units in Europe alongside the likes of Sane, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman.
The forward initially looked to have made a fantastic start to his time at the club, scoring five goals before the end of August, and another six by the time the Bundesliga broke off for the Qatar World Cup.
But an injury just before the tournament saw Mane’s involvement for the African champions written off, and would prove to be a turning point in his season.
After his return in February he scored just one more one goal in all competitions throughout the rest of the season, with Julian Nagelsmann sacked in favour of Tuchel to rescue Bayern’s domestic hopes.
Meanwhile, Mane’s departure, so soon into his stint at Bayern, is set to cost his former side Liverpool £7.5m, as he leaves before certain performance-based add-ons can be triggered.
Mane’s arrival at Al-Nassr was revealed by the club with a rather bizarre announcement video
The Senegal star could be seen dancing and singing along to a new chant in his honour
Mane himself as opened up on his exit, admitting that was not the way he imagined his time with Bayern would come to an end.
‘Leaving FC Bayern hurts me,’ he told Sky Sports this week. ‘I would have wished for a different ending.
‘I know that I could have helped the team this season. I wanted to prove it to everyone this season. Nevertheless, I only wish the club and the fans the best for the future.’
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel also admitted regret at the way Mane’s time at the club had turned out.
‘We had a big hug,’ the German manager began. ‘We agreed that we don’t like what’s happening now but that it’s the best in this situation.
‘I totally understand that he feels hurt. I also don’t feel happy. We didn’t bring it to the full potential which is my responsibility.’