Considered one of the best strikers today, Senegalese Sadio Mané revealed that he proposed signing a “death contract” to play in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations earlier this year.
In the competition in Cameroon, Senegal would face Equatorial Guinea for a spot in the semifinals.
Mané, however, had suffered a concussion, in a clash with the rival goalkeeper, in the duel of the round of 16, in which the Senegalese beat Cape Verde 2-0. Mané scored one of the goals before being substituted due to a blow to the head.
Concussion is a temporary dysfunction in the brain, with varied effects such as headache, memory loss, dizziness, lack of coordination and mental confusion, among others.
The intensity of symptoms and their duration vary from person to person – it could be hours, it could be days.
The 29-year-old Mané’s situation raised concerns at his club at the time, Liverpool, who requested that he not return to play for less than five days.
“Liverpool put pressure on the federation [senegalesa] and wrote a letter to FIFA saying that I needed at least five days of rest, which meant I would miss the quarter-finals.”
“The doctor of our selection also wanted [o descanso de cinco dias]and when I learned of this, I immediately spoke to the trainer [Aliou Cissé] and said he had to cast me. I also made contact with the president of the federation [Augustin Senghor].”
“I said that it was important for me to play in the African Cup of Nations, that I would give my life for it,” continued the top scorer in Senegal’s history, with 33 goals in 91 games.
“I found them [técnico, dirigente e médico] and said, ‘Listen, I know I shouldn’t play, but it’s okay. Give me a contract, I’ll take responsibility. If I die, you can say it was my fault, nobody else’s. I’m ready to do it!’.”
Mané claimed to have insisted that the contract be made, but that he was told that it would not be possible. The doctor proposed that an X-ray be taken on game day, and that the result would determine whether or not he would play.
Exam carried out and analyzed by medical authorities, including the African Football Confederation, Mané obtained the approval to go to the field. He played the entire match and had no problem, even assisting for the first goal in the 3-1 victory.
After eliminating Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, again with Mané playing all the time, passed Burkina Faso (also 3 to 1, with a goal from shirt 10) and in the final beat Mohamed Salah’s Egypt on penalties (Mané converted the decisive charge).
A hero in the African Cup of Nations and key player in Senegal’s qualification for the World Cup, he should be in the Qatari camps later this year defending his country, whose best place in a World Cup was recorded in 2002, the quarter-finals in Korea/Japan.
Before that, Mané will parade his skill and speed on fields in Germany. At the end of the 2021/2022 season, the striker decided to switch from Liverpool, the team he had been defending since 2016, for Bayern Munich.
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