Sadio Mane says ‘my mum and uncle wanted me to marry a 14-year-old girl’ in uncovered interview from four years ago, after 31-year-old former Liverpool star married his girlfriend, 19, in Senegal
Sadio Mane revealed his mother and uncle wanted him to marry a 14-year-old girl in footage from an off-the-cuff interview.
The former Liverpool star married his 19-year-old girlfriend Aisha Tamba in a ceremony in Senegal last week.
The wedding is said to have taken place on January 7 in Keur Massar, an area in the capital Dakar, just six days before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations on January 13.
Reports claim that Aisha has been ‘intended for the 31-year-old footballer since she was a teenager’, although it is not known exactly how long they have been dating. The legal age of consent in Senegal is 16 years.
Pulse Sports also reported that Mane had taken care of her bills while she was in school.
Sadio Mane is married to his ’19-year-old girlfriend’ Aisha Tamba
The wedding took place on January 7 in a private ceremony in his home country of Senegal
The couple holds hands and smiles with a floral background behind them
Images from a 2019 interview with Oranje Senegal has since emerged, in which Mane was asked a series of questions, including about the prospect of marriage.
The attacker revealed that he had rejected his mother and uncle’s suggestion that he marry a 14-year-old girl.
“No, actually I wanted to get married, but you know marriage is a bit complicated,” Mane said in the interview.
‘I would have liked to get married, but you know parents have that too, that’s something else, they’re complicated.
‘I remember one day my mother and my uncle wanted me to marry a 14-year-old girl (as is done in the villages).
‘(Shouting to someone off camera) Idy, it was 14 right? I believe she turns 15 this year, but I would have declined.
“But don’t worry, if I look after my soulmate, I’ll get married right away.”
Mane previously revealed in a 2019 interview that he turned down a suggestion from his mother and uncle to marry a 14-year-old girl
Mane confirmed his marriage to 19-year-old Aisha, with the attacker sharing photos of their wedding on social media.
The photos show Mane and his wife, who grew up in Senegal’s Casamance neighborhood and is the daughter of an architect, holding hands and posing after the ceremony.
One image shows the couple sitting under a rosary, with the words ‘Mrs Mane’ printed on the wall.
A video posted by @abdullahayofel on X (formerly Twitter) showed the two smiling and laughing as they sat together on a couch after their wedding.
The caption read: “A very simple and humble man, congratulations Sadio Mane. May Allah bless your union.’
In the wedding photos, Aisha is seen wearing an intricate, fitted, mermaid-style lace dress, with long sleeves and a silk veil.
Other photos show a second outfit: a silk white top and skirt combination, which she paired with a chunky gold necklace and earrings. The bride also has henna on both hands.
In the photos, Mane can be seen wearing traditional Senegalese clothing.
During his time at Liverpool, Mane had not publicly announced any relationship.
Reports claim Aisha ‘had been meant for the 31-year-old footballer since her teenage years’
Sadio Mane kisses his new bride’s hand during a wedding photo shoot
The wedding photos show the footballer lovingly fastening his bride’s veil
However, in 2022, he had spoken out about the kind of person he would marry.
“I’ve seen a lot of girls asking why I’m not married, but I’m sorry you might be wasting your time. The woman I marry will not be on social networks,” Mane said, according to Tribune.
‘I want to marry a woman who respects God and prays well. Everyone has their own way of making their choice of love,” Mane added.
The footballer first saw Aisha when she was 16, but he did not formally approach her at the time, according to Sports Brief.
However, he reportedly told his intentions to his uncle, a family friend, which led to their eventual union.
Senegal coach Aliou Cissé said: ‘The whole national team, including myself, we asked him (Sadio) all the time: ‘When are you getting married?’
Aisha was born in Casamance, a town bordering Bambali – the village where Mane comes from and where he donated money to build a hospital.
He has also provided funds for a mosque, a school and a gas station and provided educational materials to students in his community, the Bayo News Network reported.
He spent more than £700,000 on new buildings to transform his village.
In 2022 he visited the £455,000 hospital he funded the year before, which serves 34 villages in the area.
The kind-hearted footballer, who also built a £250,000 public secondary school in the village, was filmed opening a new petrol station.
Mane has joined his Senegalese teammates to defend their AFCON title
He provided each family in the village with a monthly support package of €70 and offered €400 to the top-performing students of Bambali High School.
According to Essentially Sports, Aisha is said to be a student at Cabis School in Grand Mbao Baobab, Senegal.
She reportedly speaks Mandingo, a language spoken in parts of Senegal and Gambia that her new husband also speaks.
Aisha is off social media and will reportedly remain committed to her studies as Mane kicks off the Africa Cup of Nations as Senegal look to retain their title.