'I had no respect in Senegal until AFCON win' — Sadio Mané opens up on pressure and criticism

Despite lifting the Premier League, Champions League, and cementing himself as one of Africa’s greatest players, Sadio Mané says he never truly felt respected by his fellow countrymen until he delivered Senegal’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022.

In an emotional interview with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, the Al-Nassr forward reflected on the immense pressure he carried for years, pressure he said affected his performances and weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Growing up in Bambali, Mané watched Senegal’s national team repeatedly get close to glory but never cross the finish line.

“When I was young, Senegal never won the African Cup. The mentality was: Senegal will never win anything because they go close, they don't win,” Mané said.

The Teranga Lions endured six decades of heartbreak, including AFCON runners-up in 2002 and AFCON runners-up in 2019

He added, “I said to myself, when I become a football player, I will win the African Cup. I wasn’t even a football player yet, but that was my mentality.”

Mané admitted that the expectation to win AFCON, combined with constant criticism, created a suffocating environment.

“Before I won the African Cup, sometimes I played badly because of this… because of pressure,” he confessed.

The sharpest criticism came from his own people, “They were saying, ‘You only play well for Liverpool, you play bad for Senegal.’ I didn’t have respect. I can say that. I won the Premier League, I won the Champions League, but nothing in Senegal. So all this on your shoulder, it’s not easy.”

He also highlighted the unique intensity of football on the continent, “In Europe, it’s OK. But Africa is different. They can burn your house for nothing,” he said.

He added, “For them, they don’t have big clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool… They only have their national team. That’s why the pressure is big.”