Sadio Mane believes his Africa Cup of Nations triumph with Senegal trumps any of the trophies he won while at Liverpool.
Mane scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out to give Senegal a narrow win over Egypt in Africa’s top competition back in February. It was the first time Senegal had won AFCON after two defeats in previous finals and came on home soil, making it even more special.
The victory cemented Mane’s status as a national hero and stands out for him as the best moment of his career – ahead of the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup or League Cup that he won with Liverpool.
"Winning the African cup was the best trophy I have ever won in my life, because what made it even [more] special is my country had never won it before," Mane told BBC Sport . "Country success is always bigger [than club success] for sure, and I was really, really happy to win it. Of course, my dream is not only to win trophies with my country but all the trophies possible with my clubs – that is my target.”
Mane had his seventh-minute penalty saved during the tense final against Egypt on February 7 in Yaounde. But he kept his cool in the shoot-out to score and give Senegal victory 4-2 on penalties.
"When I scored, I think I could not realise [the significance] because it's out of my imagination,” he said. “I was just running and running, but I could not remember anything.
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“Like I always said, the African cup is one of the reasons why I became a football player because when I was young, I used to watch my country, only my country, when they were playing. So when I won it, it was so far the best moment in my life."
Mane, who was named as Africa's men's player of the year for a second time on Thursday, has left Liverpool to join Bayern Munich. The 30-year-old first told Liverpool of his desire to leave the Premier League club last year because he wanted to challenge himself.
He left having contributed 120 goals and 48 assists in 269 appearances for the club after Liverpool accepted a £34million offer from Bayern. "When Bayern Munich came to me and I saw the project, I was so, so passionate about it," he said.
"They have big targets, because of course it's one of the best clubs in the world. I honestly want to win cups, want to win the Champions League, so if you have a team fighting for everything, it's always an easy choice."
