Mane: My parents ‘thought football was a waste of time’

Sadio Mane has revealed that he faced fierce resistance from his parents to become a professional footballer because they wanted him to become a school teacher.

The Reds forward is the third Senegalese player to play in the Premier League after Salif Diao and El-Hadji Diouf.

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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Sadio Mane scores for Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, London. (Photo by AFP)

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The 26-year-old admitted the two former Senegal internationals inspired him to be the player he is today.

“When I was young, I had lots of favourite footballers, but Ronaldinho was my real favourite, along with El-Hadji Diouf from Senegal,” he told Bleacher Report. “They really inspired me. Those two players were examples for me as a footballer. They were skilful players and good dribblers who beat their opponents easily.

“I was a very good dribbler as a young player, but now that I’ve got more experience, there are some useless things that I don’t do anymore. It’s all about making and scoring goals for the team, like my idols did when they were at the peak of their powers.”

Mane overcame the odds to reach the heights he has reached today, growing up poor in an out-of-the-way corner of Senegal, he also had to persuade his own family.

With his parents wanting him to study and become a school teacher, Mane fled to Dakar, the Senegal capital, and gained a place at Generation Foot academy.

The academies partnership with French side Metz gave Mane a golden ticket to professional football.

“I was born in a village where there had never been a footballer who’d made it in the major championships,” he says. “I remember that when I was little, my parents felt that I should study to become a teacher. They thought football was a waste of time and I’d never succeed at it. I always said: ‘This is the only job that will enable me to help you. And I think I have a chance to become a footballer.’

“They weren’t sure about it because I was a long way from the capital and almost nobody from there had succeeded. So they were against the idea, and they never believed it, right up until the day when I signed my first professional contract.

“For them, it wasn’t possible. They weren’t exactly wrong because it really wasn’t straightforward, but I wanted to realise my dream of becoming a footballer. I gave it everything. It got to the point where they didn’t really have a choice, so they started helping me, and it worked. Today, they’re all proud.”

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Source: anfieldhq.com