What Sadio Mane did during AFCON trophy celebrations shows that Liverpool has never left him

On Sunday night, Sadio Mane and Senegal celebrated a second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) triumph in five years after they defeéated hosts Morocco in the final.

The eventual scoreline of 1-0 after extra time doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story of a chaotic match in Rabat, with the ending to normal time being anything but normal.

Shortly after having a late goal harshly disallowed, the Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest at a contentious penalty being awarded to their opponents deep into stoppage time. They were eventually persuaded to go back onto the field and duly saw Brahim Diaz blow his chance to be a Moroccan hero by inexplicably scopping a ‘Panenka’ spot kick into the grateful arms of Edouard Mendy.

Mane emulates Henderson shuffle in AFCON trophy lift

A thundering goal from Pape Gueye early in extra time ultimately settled a tempestuous contest, and Mane was given the honour of lifting the trophy in the post-match presentations.

What happened next would’ve been blissfully familiar for Liverpool fans, as the former Reds winger copied the rotating jig towards his teammates which was Jordan Henderson’s trademark when accepting trophies as LFC captain.

Mane adds to glittering trophy haul and legacy

While plenty of the pre-tournament discussion centred around whether Mo Salah would finally taste AFCON glory with Egypt at the fifth attempt, instead it was his former Anfield teammate who was celebrating in Rabat last night, having eliminated the Pharaohs along the way.

It’s the 14th trophy of a glittering career at club and international level for Mane, who left Merseyside in 2022 with a wonderful legacy after his contributions during the peak years of the Jurgen Klopp era at Liverpool, scoring 120 goals in 269 appearances.

In emulating the famous Henderson shuffle during the trophy lift on Sunday, the 33-year-old showed that LFC still has a firm place in his heart from his six years at the club.

Now based in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr as he approaches the twilight of his career, it seems incereasingly probable that the Senegalese winger won’t make a return to Anfield as a player; but if he were to do so, he’d receive the warmest of welcomes from Kopites who’ll adore him for years to come.

You can view Mane lifting the AFCON trophy below, via @CAF_Online on X:

All theirs. Senegal lift it high. #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/E8WzbAx0lh

— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 18, 2026

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