Sadio Mane’s debut season at Bayern Munich, which was a colossal letdown, has now been redefined by players in the German top flight’s as the worst in the competition.
After six years, Mane joined Bayern for £35 million, leaving Liverpool. After his significant contributions to Jurgen Klopp’s team’s success at the time, some called it the “worst bit of business ever seen in football” from a Liverpool perspective.
Liverpool may have missed him down the left, but Mane wasn’t exactly at his best in Bavaria. He concluded the season with 12 goals across all competitions, helping Bayern defeat Borussia Dortmund to win yet another championship on a thrilling championship day.
However, Mane was a bench player versus Koln after a terrible few months. After breaking his fibula and missing the World Cup with Senegal, he received a hefty fine and a suspension from his club for reportedly striking teammate Leroy Sane. The altercation is believed to have occurred in the locker room following the 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Every year, all 252 professionals have their say on the player of the season – as well as which outfielder was the biggest disappointment. And as per Kicker, Mane accrued a whopping 41.7% of the votes to win by an absolute landslide.
While Mane’s colleagues Joshua Kimmich, Sane, and Leon Goretzka were also in the unfavourable top five along with Anthony Modeste of Dortmund, 26.9% chose to blatantly refuse to vote or pick others. Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt and France won the Player of the Season award with 24.2% of the votes following a remarkable 15-goal season.
