Sadio Mane has lifted the lid on a hidden chapter of his journey to Liverpool. The former Reds star revealed that Jurgen Klopp once apologised for failing to sign him during his Borussia Dortmund days.
Mane made the confession during a chat on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. Klopp had spotted Mane’s talent early while he was tearing through defences at Red Bull Salzburg in 2014.
“I met Klopp. He wanted to bring me to Dortmund, but it didn’t work out,” Mane said.
That failed move stuck with both men. Once Klopp arrived at Liverpool, he wasted no time fixing the past.
Mane recalled the moment the German coach reached out.
“Klopp called me. First of all, I say, ‘Coach…’ He said, ‘How are you? It was my fault, you didn’t come to Dortmund. Because, you know, I wanted to come there. I met him first. I was not happy.’
“And he apologised for this. And he said, ‘We will build the team no one wants to play against. And then, if we grow up together, you will play every game.’
“So when he was in Liverpool, and I was also making my way, I go to Southampton. And that was, ‘OK, we meet again.’”
But the story took a twist. Mane admitted he almost joined Tottenham after speaking with Mauricio Pochettino.
“He [Klopp] called me. He said, ‘Listen, it didn’t work out. It was my fault. So what do you think? We work again or?'”
He added: “And then I go to meet [Mauricio] Pochettino [at Tottenham]. I say, ‘OK, so make sure you agree with my agent, everything. I will come to Tottenham.’ And I come back home, three days after, Klopp called me. I say, ‘This is my Klopp. This is the right…this is what I want.'”
That call changed everything. The Senegalese forward joined Liverpool in 2016 and became one of the club’s most influential modern stars.
He scored 120 goals, delivered 46 assists, and powered the Reds to the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup.
It was a partnership built on trust, timing, and a coach’s apology that came full circle.
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