Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane has married 18-year-old girlfriend Aisha Tamba at a private ceremony in Senegal, reports from his home country claim.
31-year-old Mane, who now plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, has tied the knot ahead of captaining Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations next week. According to Business Day, the wedding took place on Sunday, January 7 in Keur Massar, an area in the capital city of Dakar.
Pulse Sports add that Aisha, who grew up in the Casamance region of Senegal, had been long intended for the ex-Liverpool winger since her teenage years, although it’s not known how long they’ve been dating. The legal age of consent in Senegal is 16 years of age.
The pair’s wedding is reported to have been attended by family and friends, as well as fellow footballers. Photos from the ceremony were posted Instagram by photography company @Magvision_Evens_Officiel.
They showed the Al-Nassr forward and his new wife holding hands and posing after tying the knot, with one image displaying them sat on a display of roses and the words ‘Mrs Mane’ imprinted on the wall behind them. A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by user @abdullahayofel showed the couple smiling and laughing.
It was captioned: “A very simple and humble man, congratulations Sadio Mane. May Allah bless your union.” Mane was seen wearing traditional Senegalese dress in the pictures, while Aisha’s outfit was a mermaid-style laced dress with long sleeves.
The footballer is expected to star in the Ivory Coast over the next month, as Senegal bid to retain AFCON after their penalty shoot-out victory over Egypt in 2022. Mane memorably scored the winning spot-kick to give the Lions of Teranga their first ever title.
Five months later, the former Southampton and Red Bull Salzburg prospect quit Liverpool to join German giants Bayern Munich, where he only lasted one season. His next move was to the cash-rich Saudi Pro League to link up with Ronaldo.
“[I am] really, really happy to be part of this project and to make sure this league becomes one of the best, for sure,” Mane said after signing a lucrative four-year deal. “I think if you see how they work on it and how they are doing their best to bring all these great players, I think you can see how ambitious they are.”
