The real reason behind Sadio Mane‘s recent absence from the Senegalese national team has been revealed, according to a report.
The former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star was not included in his country’s squad for their upcoming friendly clashes against Ireland on Friday and England next Tuesday.
In the 13 years since his senior debut for Senegal, Mane has never declined a call-up to play for his nation.
Not to mention, he played all 90 minutes of Al-Nassr‘s 3-2 victory against Al-Fateh on May 26, a game in which he scored and showed no signs of injury. This made his absence even more confusing.
However, it has now been reported that Mane appeared in Mina, Saudi Arabia, this week.
The 33-year-old is in the region to perform the Hajj pilgrimage – a mandatory religious duty for Muslims and one of the five pillars of Islam – according to SeneNews.
Sadio Mane was not part of Senegal’s recent squad because he is reportedly on Hajj pilgrimage
The 33-year-old is a devout Sunni Muslim and performed his mandatory Islamic duty this week
Mane will miss Senegal’s friendly against Ireland on Friday then against England next Tuesday
Mane is a devout Sunni Muslim just like most of his countrymen. It is estimated that Senegal has a Muslim population of 18.4million, which constitutes 97.2 per cent of its citizens.
When asked why Mane was not part of his nation’s squad this week, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw simply referred to it as a ‘personal decision’, and did not let on that the forward was on his Hajj pilgrimage.
Remaining vague, Thiaw said: ‘As a coach, I respect it. The most important thing is the team.’
Senegal will have to do without their best player ever, who has been in fine form this season, registering 17 goals and 12 assists in 43 games in all competitions this season.
In 133 caps for his national team, Mane has scored 45 goals – the most ever by a Senegel player.
Mane departed Liverpool in the summer of 2022 following a disappointing run-in that saw the club miss out on Premier League and Champions League success after being on course for an unprecedented quadruple.
The Senegalese forward would ultimately join Bayern in a deal worth an initial £27m.
While the Bavarian club claimed the league title in what proved to Mane’s only season in the Bundesliga, his time at the Allianz Arena was characterised by an often contentious relationship with both his team-mates and then-Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann.
The winger is Senegal’s all-time top goalscorer, having netted 45 times in 133 appearances
These issues would come to a head during a dressing room clash following a Champions League defeat by Manchester City that reportedly saw Mane punch team-mate Leroy Sane.
Mane now suits up for Al-Nassr with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Aymeric Laporte and Jhon Duran.
In his time with the Saudi Pro League side, Mane has scored 37 goals and provided 25 assists in 93 games.
He has also won one trophy with Al-Nassr – the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 – while the Riyadh-based club were runners-up in the 2023-24 King’s Cup.
His contract – which sees him earn more than £650,000 per week – expires in the summer of 2027.