Liverpool Footballer Sadio Mane : Will Now Walk Alone out of Anfield

In losing Mane, one of the most successful forward lines in Premier League history is robbed of a player who has scored 120 goals in 269 appearances, helping Liverpool to win every major trophy.

During Sunday's parade around the city on an open-top bus, Sadio Mane waved to the adoring public while wearing a red baseball cap and Liverpool scarf. He viewed this as his final parade.

After six years at Anfield, the Senegal international has decided that the time is right to pursue a new challenge after just 12 months left on his contract. The German club is heavily favoured to sign him since they are looking for a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who is leaving the club at the end of the season.

The likelihood of Mane, Mohamed Salah, or Roberto Firmino departing grew as the season wore on without any agreement on contract extensions beyond 2023.

Liverpool's Salah had pledged his future to the club before Real Madrid's Champions League final, but Mane has been coyer about his future and has forced Liverpool's hand.

Sadio Mane at Liverpool

Sadio Mane's departure is a sort of bookend to Jurgen Klopp's first phase as manager. This was a period in which the club rose to the top of international football.

The German's initial major signing at Liverpool was Mane himself. He followed a familiar path from Southampton to Merseyside in 2016 for £34m.

After a few seasons, Liverpool returned to the Champions League with the help of his 13 goals. This was the beginning of a remarkable run of success that came after it.

They were European champions in two years of it and won the Premier League 12 months later for the first time in thirty years.

They were also Champions League runners-up twice and finished second in the Premier League twice. Including the 2021-22 season, where they won the FA Cup and League Cup.

In the summer following Mane's arrival, Salah signed and, along with Firmino, formed one of the most extraordinary forward combinations in the history of English football. The combined effort produced 338 goals across five seasons.

Mane has demonstrated a positional versatility few players are capable of, starting on the right in his first season, then switching to a predominantly left-sided role to accommodate Salah, and, more recently, excelling as a central midfielder.

In acquiring Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and promising young talent Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, Liverpool's attacking group was already well underway before Sadio Mane left.

Liverpool will never forget Sadio Mane

Liverpool was proactive in signing Nunez before the summer transfer window closed.

And Mane has also not shown any signs of fading. His performance in the second half of 2021-22 was extraordinary, and he contributed as much as anyone to the club's fight on all four fronts until the end.

Undoubtedly, he is a legend for what he has accomplished at Liverpool, but sadness will also stem from the thought that he has plenty more to give. The man who led the line in the biggest game in club history is not a bit-part player searching for greater opportunities elsewhere.

"Come back to me after Saturday, and I'll give you the best answer you want to hear, for sure. It's special… I will give you all you want to hear then," Mane told media persons.

Even though he didn't stop to speak to the media after the Champions League final, Mane's mind was already made up. The legacy he leaves will be unchanged for so long, thanks to his contributions to Liverpool. It will be an honour to welcome him back anytime.