Sadio Mane is one of the finest Liverpool players of the recent generation. The Senegalese forward is loved by the adoring Reds fanbase for his high-energy and exhilarating performances during his six years at the club, but his choice of ‘hero’ may not sit well with some.
Having joined from Southampton in 2016, the winger quickly took to life at the club and contributed greatly to Champions League and Premier League success under Jurgen Klopp in the years that followed. In 269 matches, Mane netted an impressive 120 goals before departing to join Bayern Munich in 2022.
He narrowly missed out on being a teammate of fellow Liverpool great Steven Gerrard, with the iconic midfielder leaving his boyhood club 12 months before Mane’s arrival. Had the pair crossed paths at the club, Gerrard may have had a thing or two to say about Mane’s football ‘hero’.
Speaking to the Premier League’s official website in 2016, shortly after joining Liverpool, the ex-Southampton ace was asked to name his football ‘idol’. There was little hesitation from Mane, who picked the highly controversial figure, El-Hadji Diouf.
“When I was young I was watching El-Hadji Diouf as he was one of my heroes.
“He also played for Liverpool and he was a big motivation because he was a great player for [Senegal]. He was one of the best players ever in Senegal.”
While it makes sense for Mane to pick a fellow Senegalese player, and one who impressed at the 2002 World Cup for his country, Diouf has a very famous history with some of Liverpool’s biggest stars.
The ex-forward was signed off the back of that impressive showing at the World Cup, but quickly became a divisive figure among the senior figures at Anfield. He went on to play 80 times for the Merseysiders, but only scored six goals. The biggest disappointment of Diouf’s Liverpool story is the impression he left on Gerrard.
Steven Gerrard and El-Hadji Diouf’s Relationship
The pair have aimed digs at each other several times over the years
Gerrard was quick to state his annoyance at the perceived lack of effort and care from Diouf during his spell at the club. In his 2007 autobiography, the former Reds captain launched a savage assault on his old colleague:
“Being around Melwood and Anfield I knew which players were hungry, which players had Liverpool at heart. Diouf was just interested in himself. His attitude was all wrong. I felt he wasn’t really a***d about putting his body on the line to get Liverpool back at the top.”
Diouf – being an extremely outspoken figure – didn’t take these comments lightly and has continually fired shots at the England legend. One of the more stinging comments he made came shortly before Mane announced him as his football hero, as he said:
“What I represented for Senegal, [Gerrard] never managed 100th of that for England. He has never done anything in the World Cup or the Euros. When I arrived at Liverpool, seeing as I just did what I wanted, he thought that I did not respect the club. But he downright killed his team by slipping against Chelsea.
“If Liverpool has never won the Premier League, it’s no accident. What goes around, comes around.”
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