Lionel Messi is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever grace a football pitch, but not even he could persuade Sadio Mane to leave Liverpool last summer.
The Senegal international joined Bayern Munich earlier this month after revealing that he wanted to leave the Reds. Mane’s contract expired in 2023 which meant that this summer was Liverpool’s last significant chance to cash in on the former Southampton star – earning them £35m from Bayern.
But the winger could have pushed for a move away from Anfield sooner and was urged to do so by Messi. The forward, who was in talks about extending his contract at Barcelona at the time, wanted to lead the line with Mane at the Camp Nou and made it known to the club who he thought the club should pursue in the transfer window.
Mane’s advisor Bacary Cisse has spoken about who his client has been approached by, revealing that PSG also held talks with the club ahead of the Bayern move, he told RMC Sport : “Yes, PSG did indeed ‘attack’ Sadio. Leonardo had several contacts with the German agent
“They saw each other, they discussed the ins and outs of a possible transfer of Sadio at PSG, but it ended there. Everyone knows that Leonardo was on an ejection seat; we had to wait.
“Last year it could have also happened with FC Barcelona. It was Lionel Messi who imposed Sadio Mane in the deal when it was a question of him extending to Barca. He had given two names: Sadio Mane and an Argentinian central defender.”
Instead, Mane decided to play for Liverpool for another season. He scored 16 goals in 32 Premier League appearances for the club, whilst also making an impact in the Champions League and Carabao Cup. Though he will have been disappointed that his time at the Merseyside outfit ended on a sour note after losing the Champions League final 1-0 to Real Madrid.
Messi hasn’t been shy about heaping the praise on Mane previously. The former Barca star revealed in 2019 that he thought Mane deserved to finish higher than fourth in the 2019 Ballon d’Or placings. He said: “It's a shame to see Mane finish in fourth place
“But I think there have been a lot of great players this year. That's why it was difficult to choose a particular player. But I chose Sadio Mane (for The Best award) because he's a player that I like. Mane achieved a great year that was exceptional for the entire Liverpool team. That's why I chose him.”
Mane has also been involved in the Ballon d’Or conversation this year, though it is likely that Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema picks up the award after an exceptional campaign that saw him score 44 goals in all competitions. Speaking about the award, Messi said: “I think there are no doubts this year, it is very clear that [Karim] Benzema had a spectacular year and ended up victorious in the Champions League, being essential from the last 16 onwards in all the games.”
