With Sadio Mané, FC Bayern has been able to sign a real top-class player this summer. The Senegalese himself, however, resists the label that he is a world star.
“I can’t do much with such terms. It’s just about being part of the team for me,” said the 30-year-old striker modestly in one club interview of the record champions published on Tuesday: “I don’t see myself as a world star at all.”
For him, Bayern’s famous Mia san mia means “that the team always comes first.” He wanted to “go to the limit” for his teammates and “score goals, provide assists and win games,” emphasized the ex-Liverpool star.
“Everyone knows the identity of FC Bayern”
For Mané, the move from Liverpool FC to Bayern Munich is anything but a step backwards or a step into the unknown.
“When I was at Salzburg, I watched a lot of FC Bayern games, and even after moving to England I always had the Bundesliga in mind. […] Everyone knows the identity of FC Bayern,” said the attacker, who, according to his own statement, “didn’t hesitate a bit” when the option to change opened up.
The fact that he is more than just a “normal player” in Munich is obvious when you look at Mané’s past successes. “I would now like to bring this experience of the past few years to the team and thus help to make it even stronger so that we can all achieve our goals together,” said the newcomer.
The 30-year-old assured that he could deal with the pressure that his price tag alone brought with it. “For me, the expectations are motivation, that pushes me tremendously. Ultimately, it helps me and the whole team to achieve our goals,” said Mané.
In the Supercup spectacle against RB Leipzig (5: 3), Mané scored his first competitive goal in the Bayern jersey. On Friday (8.30 p.m.) the attacker wants to add more. Then the Munich team will make a guest appearance at the start of the Bundesliga at Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.