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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Ryan Paton

Sadio Mane's Liverpool legacy will last forever as two players ease pain of exit

Sadio Mane Jurgen Klopp Bayern Munich Mohamed Salah Roberto Firmino Liverpool Rolling Stones

The woos of Miss You were ringing around Anfield as I looked upon the fabled Spion Kop at the Rolling Stones gig last month.

The band's magnetic performance was such that it was only as they were steamrolling towards the end of their rip roaring set when I done a full 360 and truly got to grips with where I was in the stadium. It was surreal to look at the Liver bird crest emblazoned on one of the most famous stands in sport while standing on the left wing of Anfield's hallowed pitch.

It is a patch of land that players such as Billy Liddell, Steve Heighway and John Barnes graced and made their own as they attacked the Kop End on their way to becoming club legends. A winger with guile, pace and invention who is not afraid to take risks is the sort of player the Anfield faithful quickly embraces and takes to their hearts.

However, Reds' supporters of a certain generation were starved of this breed of footballer for far too long as team after team throughout the 2000s was built on functional stability and lacked a fearless winger to tear defences apart. That all changed in the summer of 2016 when Liverpool FC made one of the most transformative signings in the club's history as Sadio Mane arrived for £34m.

The Senegalese arrived as a raw speed merchant from Southampton with question marks over whether he would be another of those Saints players who failed to properly make the well trodden path to Liverpool. Mane started the opening game of the season on the right wing against Arsenal at the Emirates stadium - and soon silenced those doubters with a goal of individual brilliance in a pulsating 4-3 win.

The moment is burned into Reds' fans' retinas but the sight of the then-number 19 bursting past the Gunners' defence and arrowing the ball into the back of the net is one nobody could tire of reliving. This was the sort of dynamite wingplay LFC had been crying out for since Steve McManaman quit the club and, as Jurgen Klopp gave his new hero a piggyback on the touchline, it was clear it was about to be the start of a most beautiful friendship.

The jubilant scenes after the ball hit the net is the only time Mane can ever be accused of being carried during his time at Liverpool. He shouldered a huge responsibility and did whatever his manager asked of him as he played in every position across Liverpool's front three with a unique mixture of verve, skill and power.

However, it is his time on the left of an iconic front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino that Mane will be most remembered for. He wracked up 120 goals throughout his tenure with the Reds, and fans will forever associate him with squaring a frightened full back up, unleashing that unstoppable turn of pace before blasting a shot into the far right hand corner.

Mane approached every game with a joyful exuberance as he collected every major medal in club football and was considered by many supporters as their favourite player, which is no mean feat in a Jurgen Klopp side chocked full of bona fide stars. It was with great sadness the number 10's move to Bayern Munich was confirmed last week, but his legacy is secured.

Mick Jagger's shaking hips during the Rolling Stones gig at Anfield may have told a different story, but the passage of time comes for everyone and all good things must come to an end. Mane is now immortalised in Liverpool lore alongside those legendary figures, who supporters never require a second opportunity to wistfully reminisce over.

The Reds' future lies with a new group of players bidding to create their own legacy. Darwin Nunez is one of the hottest prospects in football and Luis Diaz's signing means supporters shouldn't have to endure a wait to see another exciting talent terrify defences from the flank.

The hope for the future should eventually heal the wounds of Mane's exit, but the great moments he created for supporters will keep flooding back on a regular basis until we get a glimpse of the new look Liverpool in action. The last minute winner at Goodison Park, the header at Villa Park, the touch of genius inside his new home at the Allianz Arena.

It's difficult to find the right words to sum up the overwhelming emotion surrounding such a legendary player's exit. But, when I think back to standing on that spot at Anfield that Mane has owned for the past six years, there was fortunately a 78-year-old rock star wailing away at the Anfield Road end who could help out. Sadio Mane: Lord I'll miss you.

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