Sadio Mane’s £35 million transfer to Bayern Munich from Liverpool was initially viewed as one of the steals of the 2022 summer transfer window because the forward turned down a contract extension at Anfield in favor of a fresh start at the Allianz Arena.
In his six years at Anfield, Mane scored 120 goals in 269 games, winning the Premier League and the Champions League along the way. He cemented his place among Europe’s top forwards. Soon after Mane arrived in Germany, Robert Lewandowski finalized a long-anticipated transfer to Barcelona, leaving Bayern hoping that the Reds hero would help replace the loss. Early results were promising; he scored five goals in his first six games after being inserted right into Julian Nagelsmann’s starting lineup. Mane received a lot of criticism for his poor performance in the team’s 2-0 Champions’ League group-stage victory over Barcelona as the goals rapidly stopped coming for him. After 70 minutes, he was replaced because he had failed to produce even a single shot, frustrating Nagelsmann. The coach said, “I would like him to do some more things.” Instead of constantly searching for the ball or teammates, strive to be a little more self-assured.