In March 2016, during a match against Southampton, Liverpool led 2-0 before the entry of Mané, who turned the situation around with an exceptional performance. Shortly after, Klopp recruited Mané for 36 million euros, becoming the third most expensive transfer in the club’s history at the time. However, the two men already knew each other.
When Klopp was still at Dortmund, he tried to recruit Mané, but the latter, at the time, had a look that did not match the coach’s expectations. “ It was a very young man sitting there, his cap askew and already with that blond line that he still has today. He looked like a rookie rapper. I told myself I didn’t have time for that », Tells Klopp in the Daily Mail.
The birth of the Salah-Mané-Firmino trio
Forming a formidable trio with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool won a second place in the Premier League, synonymous with qualification for the Champions League. However, the team still needs to strengthen to compete at the highest level. The following summer, Klopp signed Mohamed Salah, a player seeking redemption after a disappointing spell in the Premier League. After an excellent season with AS Roma, he joined Liverpool for around 42 million euros. Very quickly, Salah established himself and completed the trio with Mané and Firmino. The future will prove this intuition right, as Salah will experience a meteoric rise, becoming “ The Egyptian King “.
However, at the start, the trio struggled to fully shine, especially with the shadow of Coutinho. His departure for FC Barcelona in January 2018 allowed Mané to take his place and become an essential starter. The second half of the season was exceptional for Liverpool, who had a string of victories, including a historic victory against Manchester City in the Premier League and a qualification for the Champions League final. The Reds went on to win several titles, including the Champions League and the Premier League, before Mané left the club for Bayern Munich.
The cloth sometimes burned between the 3
The tensions within the team are palpable. Firmino spoke of problems with Salah: “ They were never best friends. I don’t know if he was aware of it or not, but Salah frustrated everyone when he didn’t pass the ball. I knew how to handle this situation better than anyone. Klopp addressed this issue in front of all of us: when a teammate was in a better position, the ball should be passed to them. It was a clear instruction aimed at Salah », adding fuel to the fire.
The summer of 2022 marks the end of the legendary trio formed in Liverpool. After six years at the club, Sadio Mané signs for Bayern Munich. One year from the end of his contract, the Senegalese striker leaves the Reds to join the Bavarian club until 2025, with an annual salary of around 20 million euros, one of the highest at Bayern. Tensions linked to money and the treatment of Mané at Liverpool fueled discussions, especially after the club did not celebrate its CAN coronation. Some Senegalese supporters then pushed him to leave Liverpool, which Mané did not hide by declaring: “ 60% to 70% of Senegalese want me to leave Liverpool? I will do what they want. We will see soon “.
Difficult to exist after Liverpool…
At Bayern, Mané started well, but his career took a turn for the worse as he became a liability to the club due to his salary. His conflict with Leroy Sané does not improve the situation. For their part, Liverpool are having a difficult season, with an early exit from the Champions League and non-qualification in the Champions League. Finally, Mané (32 years old) and Firmino (33 years old) leave for the Saudi Pro League. Mané had a great first season with Al-Nassr, winning the Salaman Cup with 40 goals and assists in all competitions. However, his team failed to win the Asian Champions League and the championship, losing in each confrontation against Al-Hilal. This season, Sadio Mané, whose contract ends in June 2026, has scored only one goal in his last 12 matches with Al-Nassr, which annoys the supporters, believing that he is not the height and asking for his departure.
For Firmino, things are more difficult. With only 9 goals in 32 league games, his performances were considered disappointing. The following season promises to be even more complicated, and a departure could be considered for the Brazilian who has one and a half years of contract remaining (contract ending in June 2026). Fenerbahce is interested. A return to Brazil is also mentioned… Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, who has still not extended his contract, is shining in Europe with 20 goals and 17 assists, making him the best player on the planet and a declared candidate for the future Ballon d’Or 2025. He is the subject of interest from Saudi clubs and PSG, and the trajectory of his former attacking teammates should help him make the right choice.
