Sadio Mane has lifted the lid on why he chose to move to Saudi Arabia after a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.
The Senegal international's recent struggles in Germany have been well-documented, with his failure to live up to expectations in Munich being the catalyst to his departure from the Allianz Arenea, while a punch-up with former teammate Leroy Sane only made matters worse for the 31-year-old.
However, he put that misery to bed when he signed a three-year deal with Al Nassr last week, joining new arrivals Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, and Alex Telles at Cristiano Ronaldo's club.
The 2022 CAF Men's Footballer of the Year has now disclosed how his Liverpool connections played a part in his transfer to the Riyadh giants.
"I think, first of all, I spoke with [Roberto] Firmino for sure; I think he wanted me to come to the wrong club – I'm joking! He always called two or three times to convince me to come to Al Ahli," the Senegal captain explained, according to Arab News.
"At the same time, I spoke with Fabinho because he was quite close to me and he also wanted me to come to Al Ittihad, but in this time when Al Nassr came, I chose Al Nassr.
"Of course, [Jordan] Henderson is here also, and he sent me a message two days ago to wish me good luck and I'm excited to meet all these great guys and also to meet them face to face for the first time. I'm going to win against you guys!"
Mane then revealed that it was his mother who most convinced him to make the switch from Germany to Saudi Arabia.
"Since I had the opportunity, I spoke to my family, and they were happiest, of course, because it [Saudi Arabia] is a Muslim country.
"My mum, especially, encouraged me to go.
"My mum is Muslim like me. She was the first to vote for me to go here and my whole family was excited for me to come here so it was not hard — it is important to my faith.
"I am pleased to be part of this project and to make it go forward. We have a bright future ahead."
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