Sadio Mane is now playing in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, and the club has recently announced the arrival of ex-Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu as new head coach
13:13, 04 Jul 2026Updated 13:14, 04 Jul 2026
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 26: Sadio Mane of team Al-Nassr FC during the Saudi Pro League game between Al Nassr and Al Taawoun at Al Awwal Park on January 26, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)
Sadio Mane(Image: Getty Images)
Sadio Mane has a new soccer head coach at Al-Nassr in the Saudi Premier League - and he is a big Liverpool supporter.
The Senegalese international left Liverpool for Bayern Munich before moving on to the SPL back in 2023 and he has flourished in the emerging division since. Initially working under manager Luis Castro and playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Mane has performed well for his club and has 51 goals and 35 assists from the 129 total appearances he has made for the team.
But since signing under Castro on August 1, 2023, Mane has had two other bosses in a short period of time in Stefano Pioli and former Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus.
Al-Nassr's ownership group are perhaps not the most forgiving with gaffers they hire but their new man at the helm has a big personality and has won trophies throughout his career.
And Ange Postecoglou is a big Reds fan having revealed his boyhood love for the club in previous interviews after taking a position as Celtic manager in the Scottish Premiership and then becoming Tottenham Hotspur boss in 2023.
It is perhaps safe to say that Mane and Postecoglou, therefore, may get on like a house on fire and have plenty to talk about.
But it will be all about winning on the soccer pitch for both men when the action gets underway in the new league campaign on August 13.
Ange Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou(Image: Getty Images)
In Big Ange's homeland of Australia, the only show in town back in the 1970s when he was growing up was the Premier League. And the big two were Liverpool and rivals Manchester United at the time which forced Postecoglou to pick a side.
"It was the ’70s, so you went one of two ways: it seemed they only used to show Liverpool or Man United [in Australia] at the time,” he told reporters during one of his first press conferences as Spurs boss three years ago.
“So a couple of my best mates went Man United, so I went the other way so we could keep it interesting. Like any kid, I had the posters up on my wall, so Liverpool was my team. But you grow up, things change.
“I used to love ‘Happy Days’ back then too, but I don’t have pictures of the Fonz on my wall today either. So it’s just the way things are.”
Postecoglou has also previously admitted to having a soft spot in particular for King Kenny Dalglish.
"When Kenny came in '77, it went to another level for me.
"I became totally obsessed with him and my dad loved him. He was just a special player. He wasn’t that quick or strong but he had that bit of magic.
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“My dad passed away eight years ago when I was in Japan, before I came to the Premier League. When I was at Tottenham, the first year we played at Anfield, I went for a walk around the pitch. I wanted to walk through the tunnel, beneath the sign, for my dad.
“Then I heard ‘hey Ange’ and it was Sir Kenny. He started talking to me about Celtic and it was like I was six years old again. I was talking to him about a few things and then he said ‘I hope you lose today!'. People call it a coincidence or divine intervention.”