Sadio Mané, who was once traded as a royal transfer, leaves FC Bayern after just one season and joins the Saudi club Al-Nassr around star striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Both clubs announced the long-awaited personnel decision.
The 31-year-old Senegalese said goodbye to the Munich team on the Asia trip on Sunday. He signed a contract until 2027.
The German soccer record champion signed Mané a year ago for around 32 million euros from Liverpool FC. The sum should apparently come in through the sale to Al-Nassr. And with the departure of the top earner, who is to receive a lavish salary of up to 40 million euros in Saudi Arabia, Bayern are creating new space on the payroll.
Mané could not meet expectations at FCB
Africa’s footballer of the year 2022 was celebrated as a big top transfer when he arrived in Munich and was considered the most important component in Robert Lewandowski’s successor. Bayern were very proud to have signed a world star. But the Mané from Liverpool’s heyday never really arrived in Munich. The attacker was only able to meet the high expectations at the beginning.
Over time, Mané developed into a problem on the Isar. After only 38 competitive games in the Munich jersey, twelve goals, a serious injury before the World Cup, a disappointing time afterwards and a physical altercation with team-mate Leroy Sané remain in memory. The 31-year-old often seemed like a foreign body on the pitch when he played jokers.
“Because of the long downtime, he wasn’t able to contribute to Bayern Munich as much as we and he himself had hoped. That’s why we decided together that he should start a new chapter in his career and make a fresh start at another club “Said Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern, in a statement.
