This is sad’ – Liverpool hero Sadio Mane hits back over Saudi transfer with ‘more important’ claim
The 31-year-old moved to Saudi Arabia a year after leaving Liverpool for Bayern Munich and says he is happy with his choice of transfer.
Sadio Mane is currently away with defending champions Senegal at AFCON (Image: Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Sadio Mane has hit back at suggestions that he is getting less attention in Saudi Arabia than he would have done if he had stayed in Europe’s top five leagues.
The winger insisted he is happy at Al-Nassr, adding that the quality of the Pro League means it is getting worldwide coverage. Mane made the switch to Saudi from Bayern Munich in August, just over a year after leaving Liverpool.
The 31-year-old scored Senegal’s third goal in their 3-1 win over Cameroon on Friday as the country booked their place in the knockout round of the Africa Cup of Nations with a game to spare. Speaking after the match, Mane accused reporters of being ignorant to the coverage the Saudi Pro League is getting around the globe.
Asked about whether he is getting less attention since his move to Al-Nassr, Mane said: “That’s what you think because I’m not in Europe. This is sad for you guys. Because, for you guys, if you don’t play in Europe, it doesn’t matter. I’m not around as a football player.
“Fortunately, I can say the Saudi league is a very good league, and watched by everybody in the world, so, for me, as long as I’m doing my best and I’m enjoying myself every single minute, that’s more important. The rest, for me, doesn’t matter.”
Mane has scored 12 times in 26 matches for Al-Nassr this season, eight of which have come in the Pro League. The quality of the division has been questioned by many amid the initial mass influx of high-profile players, although Mane’s club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has jumped to its defence.
“To be honest I think the Saudi League is not worse than the French league, in my opinion,” said Ronaldo, who has played in Spain, England, Portugal and Italy, but never France during his career.
“In [the] French league I think you have two, three teams with a good level. In Saudi now I think it’s more competitive. They can say whatever they want, it’s just my opinion and I played there one year so I know what I’m talking about. But I think right now we are better than [the] French league, we still improve.”
