There's a new Sadio Mane on the scene, and he's incredible.
Liverpool fans will forever remember the memories of that incredible trio under Jurgen Klopp. Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino were unplayable on their day.
They could do whatever they wanted. Defenders were terrified of facing them.
It was a spectacular era. One of the best periods of many supporters' lives. Witnessing their magic at Anfield was truly an indelible experience.
Liverpool are now trying to recreate that with a new exciting trio. In Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak they have two of the three attackers they need.

#sadio #trio #jurgen #roberto

Africa has only ever had one Ballon d'Or winner, and the wait for someone to emulate George Weah is likely to be extended further after this year's nominations were revealed.
Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi and Senegal forward Sadio Mane are the continent's two names on the 30-strong list.
Both players have previously recorded top-six Ballon d'Or finishes but, after a year in which Spain lifted the Fifa World Cup and Kylian Mbappe netted 10 goals to become the tournament's all-time top scorer, the chances of the Paris St-Germain right-back or the Al-Nassr winger lifting the coveted trophy appear slim.
And it is not the first time that Africa has failed to make a big impact.
Part of the reason for the historic lack of success is down to the fact the award, which was first handed out by France Football magazine in 1956, was not open to players representing non-European nations until 1995.

#ballon #d 'or #players #george

This Tuesday, the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or will be revealed.
And on Monday evening, some journalists started sharing a few insider tidbits. The most WTF of them: the presence of Sadio Mané and Julián Quiñones among the 30 nominees, as reported by independent journalist SamC_reports.
Pretty far-fetched stuff...
On Monday evening in Spain, Getafe were held to a 1-1 draw by Celta Vigo on matchday four of La Liga.
But the match was mainly marked by the incredible record achieved by Getafe goalkeeper David Soria.

#Monday

No player has scored more goals on the first matchday of a Premier League season than Mohamed Salah for Liverpool.
But when the Reds begin their 2026-27 campaign under Andoni Iraola at Newcastle on Sunday (kick-off 16:30 BST) , Salah will be playing for Trabzonspor against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish Super Lig, some 2,100 miles away.
It will be the first time since 2015 that Liverpool will start a season without any of Salah, Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino in their squad.
Between 2015 and 2026, that trio scored a combined 488 goals (Salah 257, Mane 120, Firmino 111) for the Reds.
Salah netted 10 of those goals on the opening matchday - a Premier League record.

#Liverpool #reds #first

A stunning brace by Kylian Mbappé broke France’s all-time scoring record as Didier Dechamp’s farewell World Cup got off to a flyer with a 3-1 win over Senegal.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 65th minute, spinning in behind the Senegalese defence before tucking the ball into the far corner, and powered home a brilliant effort in injury time which saw him reach 58 goals to overtake Olivier Giroud.
Bradley Barcola came off the bench to make an instant impact, adding a second goal for his side by lifting the ball over Édouard Mendy.
Teenager Ibrahim Mbaye gave Senegal a brief lifeline in the 95th minute, however that was quickly squashed by Mbappé’s outstanding second.
It was a familiar attack for both sides, with France fielding Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué as a front four. Meanwhile, Senegal’s frontline was made up of Sadio Mané, Jackson and Ismaïla Sarr.

Kylian Mbappe was convinced he had won a penalty in France’s 2026 World Cup opener against Senegal in New Jersey on Tuesday, only to be left flabbergasted as Australian referee Alireza ***** hani gave a corner – and then changed his decision to a goal-kick after watching replays.
Mbappe dribbled into the box where Senegal’s Sadio Mane slid in to make a tackle. As Mane reached Mbappe, the France captain touched the ball away from his opponent and then collapsed in a heap under Mane’s challenge. Mbappe could only laugh as the referee waved away French appeals and awarded a corner.
Follow France v Senegal – live!
Referee ***** hani was sent to review the decision on his pitchside monitor by his VAR, and as he stepped back on to the pitch, French players and coaching staff began to celebrate. But instead of awarding a penalty, ***** hani announced: “The attacker initiated the contact.”
To rub salt into French wounds, the corner was overturned after replays clearly showed that Mane made no contact with the ball.

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France, led by striker Kylian Mbappé and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, is gearing up for its first match of the World Cup. The team will face Senegal for the first outing, which will be held at MetLife Stadium (also referred to as New York-New Jersey Stadium, but only for the next 6 weeks). Senegal is sending in their finest, including the nation's all-time top scorer Sadio Mane and superstar teenagers Ibrahim Mbaye and Bara Ndiaye.
Find out for about Group I, which also includes Norway and Iraq, and the predictions for who will advance to the knockout rounds here.
The France vs. Senegal match will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and Telemundo on Tuesday. Here's everything you need to know about watching the France vs. Senegal match at the 2026 World Cup live from the U.S. (Plus, find out how you can catch every other game of the tournament).
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

In Iraq’s preparations to face Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, not to mention Sadio Mane and Michael Olise, it would have been easy to get hung up on individuals. Head coach Graham Arnold has naturally been emphasising the collective, the shuttling backline, which is basically the only way to face a task that otherwise would be overwhelmingly daunting.
The surprise Asian qualifiers arguably have the tallest task at the entire World Cup 2026. They are considered the team that everyone else will beat in what would usually be known as the group of death.
Such terms feel absurdly out of place when you consider what Iraq have been through. If a trio of games against France, Norway and Senegal are more difficult than anyone else has at this tournament, this team knows all about overcoming difficulty.
That naturally applies to much more than their long route to qualification, the difficulties in even getting to the play-off against Bolivia in Mexico due to the Iran war, or even star forward Aymen Hussein enduring hours of questioning on trying to enter the United States.
The striker, who scored the goal that beat Bolivia to bring Iraq here, has a personal story that illustrates enough.

Pulisic finds form before World Cup as US beat Senegal 3-2

Christian Pulisic ended his goal drought and Folarin Balogun rifled in the winner as a much-improved United States beat Senegal 3-2 in a pre-World Cup friendly in Charlotte on Sunday.
The win -- and a slick first-half offensive performance powered by Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi, before multiple substitutions disrupted the game -- provided a welcome lift for coach Mauricio Pochettino's co-hosts.
The US had entered the clash with African powerhouse Senegal off the back of disappointing losses to Belgium and Portugal, and got the performance they needed to justify high expectations ahead of the World Cup in less than two weeks.
Sergino Dest opened the scoring, while Senegal's veteran ex-Liverpool forward Sadio Mane scored a brace in a disappointing loss for the Africa Cup of Nations finalists, which nonetheless exposed some enduring frailties in the US defense.
It was a dream start for the US, with a goal on six minutes that began with striker Pepi, making his first US start since 2024.

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