Former Liverpool player, Sadio Mane has maintained he is a better player than his old teammate and Egyptian forward, Mo Salah.
Both enjoyed a brilliant spell together, winning the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League in concurrent seasons.
However, both players have enjoyed differing fortunes since Mane left Anfield to team up with Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich.
Mane’s move to Bayern Munich didn’t go as planned due to an altercation with Leroy Sane and a change in management. He was subsequently transferred to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he now plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
On the international stage, the story has been quite different as Mane has enjoyed a better career with his national side.
After Sadio Mane won his first trophy with Al-Nassr (the Arab Club Football Championship), the Senegalese responded to a fan who mentioned Salah’s name in a conversation with him.
“Salah?, Mane paused before replying, “No African Nation Cup; Senegal have African Nations Cup.”
Meanwhile, it is important to state that both players have won the African Footballer of the Year award twice each.
Salah won the award consecutively in 2017 and 2018, but Sadio Mane is the current holder of the prestigious award after previously winning it in 2019.
Interestingly, Mane has had a more successful international career, winning the African Footballer of the Year award twice and recently lifting the African Cup of Nations trophy.
He even described it as the best day of his life, considering it more special than his Champions League title. Both players have achieved individual success, but the African Cup of Nations trophy is the one thing that sets them apart.
Mane described his 2022 Afcon triumph as the best day of his life, insisting that the trophy is more special than his UEFA Champions League title.
He said, “It’s the best day of my life and the best trophy of my life. I won the Champions League and some [other] trophies but this is the special one for me.
“This is more important for me. I am happy for myself, my people and all of my family.”
While Salah has scored more goals than Mane, the Senegalese holds the bragging rights for his Cup of Nations triumph over Salah’s Egypt in 2022 via penalties.
