Sadio Mane, 31, breaks silence after marrying '19-year-old' Aisha Tamba in Senegal

11 January 2024, 05:43 | Updated: 11 January 2024, 07:46

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane has broken his silence after he married '19-year-old' Aisha Tamba in Senegal last weekend.

Mane, who currently plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia following his departure from Bayern Munich in the summer, had been known to keep his private life private.

But last weekend, photos from his wedding Ms Tamba emerged on social media following their ceremony in Dakar, Senegal's capital.

It comes as the forward prepares to help his national team defend their title at the African Cup of Nations.

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While little is known about Mane's new wife, there were conflicting reports about her age, including claims she was 26, but it is understood she is 19 years old.

Mane has now broken his silence on their wedding, laughing off any jokes about their marriage.

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"Honestly, I am happy [with] the fact the president has congratulated me just as much as, well, I would say not just my team-mates," he said on Tuesday while speaking with local media.

"I think that all the people have congratulated me and wished me [luck] so I am happy and I hope that it'll be okay."

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Mane was even congratulated by the Senegalese President, Macky Sall, as he met up with his Senegal team mates ahead of the AFCON tournament.

"First of all, I would like to warmly congratulate our national Nianthi, Sadio Mane, who has just got married," Sall said.

"I called him up so that we could applaud him and wish him a happy marriage," he continued.

"May God bless your home and your descendants. From now on you have another job apart from scoring goals."