Sadio Mane has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo personally thanked him on his move from Liverpool to Bayern Munich last summer
Mane made the surprising move to the Allianz Arena in a deal for roughly £35 million after six hugely successful years at Anfield.
In 269 games for the Reds, he scored 120 goals and assisted 48 times, winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Club World Cup.
While he is regarded as a modern Liverpool legend, the Senegal international was never as well-liked at the club as colleague Mohamed Salah.
That, paired with a desire for a fresh challenge, may have prompted Mane to take the risk of leaving the squad with which he had achieved so much.
While the 30-year-departure old’s was clearly negative for Liverpool, it was praised as a positive for the player, and Mane has now claimed that it even received the blessing of the legendary Ronaldo.
‘Once my deal was completed, I met Cristiano Ronaldo in Mallorca before this season,’ Mane said BILD.
‘He thanked me and said, ‘A fantastic club. This is a fantastic step for you.”‘
Now of course, these statements may have been made because of Ronaldo’s involvement with Liverpool’s arch-rivals Manchester United.
The Portugal international was still playing for the Red Devils at the time, but he has since moved on to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr following a public spat with manager Erik ten Hag.
Mane’s Bayern career has started well enough, with 11 goals and four assists in 24 games, though he has been plagued by injuries and the German giants haven’t been their typical dominant selves this season.
He added: ‘The league here is really tight, balanced. See how close it is at the very top. Also, the atmosphere at the stadiums. Why should anyone refuse the Bundesliga?
‘That would astound me. You sometimes undervalue the Bundesliga in this city. This is also demonstrated by recent Champions League victories.’
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