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Sadio Mane Was Reunited With Childhood Friend And Invited Him To Anfield

Sadio Mane Was Reunited With Childhood Friend And Invited Him To Anfield

Sadio Mane bumped into a childhood friend who is now a police officer.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Sadio Mane was reunited with his childhood friend in a wonderful story from this past week.

Prior to scoring the winner for Senegal in a 1-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Guinea Bissau, the Liverpool forward linked up with Solo, who he has not seen for 17 years.

The two used to play football with one another in Bambali, Senegal and their paths crossed again last Sunday.

Solo is now a police officer in Bissau and he has working the fixture at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro. He managed to alert the attention of a Senegal official, who got Mane to come over to him.

Image: PA
Image: PA

With a beaming smile on his face, Solo showed Mane a picture of them as youngsters and the old pals caught up for a brief while.

It has been reported that Mane has invited Solo to travel over to Anfield to watch him play when some normality resumes and fans are allowed in stadiums.

This anecdote is the latest example of how Mane, despite being one of the best players in world football, is humble as ever.

He's donated over £200,000 to build a school where he grew up, while he's also been spotted cleaning toilets at a local mosque.

Mane is an absolute hero back home but his unbelievable gestures are not for show. When The Telegraph spoke to him about his act of charity in building a school, he requested it be left out of the interview - adding "I do not do this for publicity."

Aged 16, with his parents not allowing him to leave school, Mane packed his stuff and ran away - his goal being to make his way to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, to try and further his career.

When he attended his first ever trials, other youngsters laughed at him "wearing pants that looked nothing like football shorts" and football boots that were "completely shredded".

What a role model. Despite all the silverware and fame he's achieved, Mane never forgets where he came from.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Senegal, Football, Sadio Mane