Senegal national team captain, Sadio Mane has pen down emotional message after winning the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon last Sunday.
In his statement, the Liverpool forward gave chronicles of his football career till date, revealing up and downs he had to go through as a young footballer then.
However, the Best player in the AFCON has indicated that with determination and hard work, he is now a football champion.
He wrote “I left without telling anyone, apart from my best friend. I walked for a long time to meet up with a friend who loaned me some money so that I could take the bus to Dakar. I was welcomed by a family who I did not know. I immediately took part in training sessions at recognised teams”.
“There were 200 or 300 youngsters who were waiting in line for their chance, it started badly for me because when I presented myself, I was laughed at. I did not look like a footballer. I was wearing pants that looked nothing like football shorts. And my football boots were completely shredded on the sides and had been repaired by me with the wire the best I could” he added.
Sadio Mane revealed “Those who oversaw the trials would look at me with a bizzare facial expression: ‘You really want to become a footballer?’ I understood them but I did not have a choice. As I was not that bad, they took me. That was the beginning of my adventure. and Now I am Champions of Africa.”
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
