Sadio Mane has revealed his admiration for El-Hadji Diouf.
Liverpool star Sadio Mane has revealed that El-Hadji Diouf was his Premier League hero, as seen on the Premier League’s official Twitter account.
Mane, 24, was Jurgen Klopp’s marquee summer signing as he prised the winger away from Premier League rivals Southampton, and so far, it looks like money well spent.
Liverpool’s Sadio Mane celebrates scoring
Mane may have cost around £34m (BBC Sport), but with six goals and two assists in 11 appearances, the Senegal international has made a huge impact for the Reds.
The winger will make his first return to former club Southampton this weekend, and ahead of that game, he has spoken about who he looked up to when he was growing up.
Liverpool’s Sadio Mane in action
Mane isn’t the first Senegalese forward to play for Liverpool, as the Reds famously signed El-Hadji Diouf after he starred for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Diouf hit just six goals in 79 games for Liverpool and was considered a major flop, but he was a hero to current Reds star Mane, who grew up idolising his compatriot, as he told the Premier League’s official Twitter account.
El-Hadji Diouf in action for Liverpool
Mane revealed that Diouf was a ‘big motivation’ for him growing up in Senegal, and is one of the best players to ever come out of the country despite his struggles at Anfield.
“When I was young I was watching El-Hadji Diouf as he was one of my heroes,” said Mane. “He also played for Liverpool and he was a big motivation because he was a great player for [Senegal]. He was one of the best players ever in Senegal,” he added.
Diouf has since launched a stunning rant at Anfield legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, as quoted by The Mirror, whilst Mane has already matched Diouf’s six-goal tally for the club, but his importance in Senegal can’t be played down after his heroics at the 2002 World Cup, hence Mane’s admiration for the man, even though he’s unpopular at Liverpool.
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