As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, another star player that will be coming to the Meadowlands for the tournament this summer is being put in the spotlight. The player being given the attention this week is Sadio Mané, a left winger for Senegal.
Mané began his professional career at the age of 19, playing for Ligue 2 club Metz, before departing after a season to play for Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. While there, Mané’s talents flourished, as the team won both its league and domestic cup during his tenure.
After two seasons with the team, Mané transferred to Premier League club Southampton, where he continued to establish himself as a star. In his first season with the club, Mané set the record for the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, scoring three goals against Aston Villa in just two minutes and 56 seconds, a record that still stands to this day.
Following Mané’s second season with Southampton, the left winger joined another Premier League club, Liverpool, for a transfer fee of £34 million. The fee was the most expensive for any African player at the time, cementing him as one of the world’s top players.
Mané spent the next six seasons of his career with the club, where he became one of the premier faces of the team. Over his tenure with Liverpool, Mané recorded 90 premier league goals and 29 assists. Additionally, he scored 24 goals across five appearances in the UEFA Champions League, including 10 in the 2017-18 season, his first time competing in the tournament with the club.
After departing from Liverpool, Mané spent a season playing for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich before joining Al-Nassr in 2023. Mané currently still plays for the Saudi Pro League club, where he has recorded four goals and three assists so far this season.
Mané made his debut for Senegal in 2012, where he has since emerged as one of the country’s best players. His first major tournament came during the 2012 Olympics, followed by the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
When the team qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mané joined the team and scored the opening goal in its match against Japan. Despite Mané scoring his first goal in the tournament, the team was eliminated in the group stages.
In the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal won its first title, thanks to Mané, who scored the decisive kick in the penalty shootout. Mané was subsequently named as the player of the tournament. Mané’s heroics continued, as he scored the winning kick in a penalty shootout during the third round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. After helping send his team to the tournament, Senegal made it to the knockout stages, before falling to England in the round of 16.
In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Mané scored a hat-trick against Benin, becoming Senegal’s all-time top scorer. During the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which occurred less than a month ago, Mané led Senegal to another title, defeating Morocco in a nail-biting final match. Mané’s efforts earned him the tournament’s best player award.
Fresh off a win from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Mané and Senegal will look to bring that momentum to the Meadowlands this summer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Senegal will be playing France on June 16 at MetLife Stadium and will be returning on June 22 to face Norway.