The past 12 months have seen Sadio Mané establish himself as a genuine footballing superstar. It’s been a little over three years since he arrived at Liverpool, as one of the first players to join manager Jurgen Klopp’s revolution at the club. Since then, Liverpool has gone on to run Manchester City close in the hunt for a Premier League title and outclass Barcelona on the way to winning the Champions League for a sixth time.

Mané has played a key role in this winning streak. Not only did he win the early penalty that set Liverpool on the path to victory in the Champions League final earlier this year, he also finished joint top scorer in the league as he, teammate Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang each scored 22 times.

“For me, Liverpool is more like a family than a football club.”

Capping that off, the Senegal striker recently earned the fifth spot in FIFA’s “The Best” award, with even Lionel Messi voting for him. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also been celebrated in song by Sheck Wes.

“I think the team has played a big part in this,” Mané explains of his last season with typical modesty. “We, as a team, worked better than before and that makes it easier for me as an attacker to score goals.” For Mané Liverpool’s success last season was driven by heartbreak the year before, which ended with a crushing Champions League final defeat, “We also noticed in the league how well we can keep up with the other top teams,” he continues. “This motivated us even more to improve our performances and to achieve more.”