This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Sadio Mane has been a revelation at Liverpool since moving to Anfield from Southampton in 2016.
Since that £34m move, the Senegal international has scored 70 goals in 14o matches, whilst also picking up 27 assists. That has brought him one Premier League Golden Boot, and he has also contributed to the team winning the Champions League last season.
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He has been speaking to Liverpool’s Official Monthly Magazine (via The Daily Mirror), and he has said that Jurgen Klopp, the manager who signed him, is the best in the world. He also spoke about his influence on that team, with the 27-year-old saying he would always “trust him”.
Klopp’s influence on Mane, likes his teammates Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk, have made him into a better player. Before moving to Merseyside, he has spent his time in the Austrian Bundesliga and with the Saints. His record with both clubs is impressive – he scored 45 in 87 for RB Salzburg and 25 in 75 with Southampton – but the switch to Liverpool was a step up in quality.
However, he is now being tipped as a Ballon d’Or contender. That is the influence the 52-year-old German has had in just three years.
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In fact, Klopp has a track record of turning unfancied or unknown names into world stars. Mario Gotze, for example, was in Dortmund’s youth academy before being put in the first team by the former Mainz player. He then racked up 32 goals and 44 assists in 116 appearances before moving to Bayern Munich, where he would win three league titles.
Not only that but he also netted the winning strike in the 2014 World Cup final for Germany against Argentina.
Robert Lewandowski was unheard of when Klopp picked him up from Lech Poznan in 2010. By the time he made the switch to Bayern in 2014, he was a club legend, scoring 103 goals in 187 appearances and helping BVB to two Bundesliga titles.
There are a number of others who have become household names through Klopp’s management. Mats Hummels, Shinji Kagawa, Ilkay Gundogan, Ivan Perisic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all signed for minimal fees, yet all have left their mark on European football. With a resume such as that, it is hard to argue with Mane’s words.