Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich poses for a photo at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, June 22, 2022. /CFP
Sadio Mane will wear the No. 17 jersey in Bayern Munich which landed him from Liverpool for as much as 41 million euros (about $43.4 million).
"I picked out 17 from the free jersey numbers at FC Bayern and aim to celebrate many successes with my team and this number. Now I'm really looking forward to starting preparations for the season with my new teammates very soon," Mane told Bayern website.
Multiple former Bayern players, including Jerome Boateng, Mark van Bommel and Thorsten Fink, used to wear the No. 17 shirt and they all helped the club win a lot of championship trophies.
"I'm really happy to finally be at FC Bayern in Munich," Mane said. "We spoke a lot and I felt big interest from this great club right from the beginning, so for me there were no doubts. It's the right time for this challenge."
Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich poses for a photo at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, June 22, 2022. /CFP
"I want to achieve a lot with this club, in Europe too. During my time in Salzburg I watched a lot of Bayern games – I really like this club!" he added.
Having scored 120 goals and 48 assists in 269 games for Liverpool, Mane drew interest from Bayern, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain when there were reports about him seeking departure from Anfield. But he chose the German powerhouse in the end and signed a three-year contract with the club. The wing pair of him and Leroy Sane can be a sharp weapon for Bayern in the new season.
"Sadio Mane is a global star, who underlines the appeal of FC Bayern and will increase the attractiveness of the Bundesliga as a whole," Bayern President Herbert Hainer said. "Fans come to the stadiums to see such players. It's great that our board led by Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic have managed to sign a player like Sadio Mane for FC Bayern."