Bayern Munich strike gold with unique footballer Sadio Mane

It took Sadio Mane five minutes to get off the mark for Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.

A penalty against D.C. United on his debut was followed by two disallowed goals as the German giants defeated the MLS side 6-2 in a preseason friendly.

Whatever happens from now until the end of the transfer window, Bayern Munich might just have pulled off the signing of this summer.

Few signings seemed as much of a sure thing as the one that took the 30-year-old Senegalese star from Liverpool to Bayern on a three-year deal.

While the exact transfer fee has not been provided by his new club, my sources say that the German champions will pay almost $33 million guaranteed with an additional potential $9 million in bonuses.

The move, completed several weeks ago, continues to be the talk of the German press. According to newspaper Bild, Mane will receive something in the $20 million range for each season, and $1.68 million per month.

There are few who would argue that he does not deserve it.

Mane spent the last eight years in the Premier League, first at Southampton, where he excelled for two seasons, and then at Liverpool, where he became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s team that won the Champions League, English Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

The transfer to Bayern was carried out with usual class that you would expect from Mane, with no unwanted media statements or falling out with Liverpool.

Mane’s career is unique in that it has been characterized by an almost continuous, unfussy improvement since his arrival at Austrian club RB Salzburg at the age of 22 from Metz of France.

On and off the pitch and beyond sporting matters, Mane has shown himself to be a person of