Sadio Mane has opened up on why he decided to take the No.17 shirt at Bayern Munich following his transfer from Liverpool last week.
The Senegal international completed the £35million switch to the Allianz Arena after six successful years with the Reds, where he won four major trophies including the Premier League and the Champions League. He scored 120 goals in 269 appearances in total and was part of one of the division's most potent front three alongside Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
However, Mane has decided to explore a new adventure with Bayern his preferred destination amid reported interest from PSG and Real Madrid. The 30-year-old has signed a three-year contract and is ready to open an exciting new chapter in his career.
When asked about why he chose the No.17 shirt, Mane explained it was simply the best of those available as he told the Bayern website: "I picked out 17 from the free jersey numbers at FC Bayern and aim to celebrate many successes with my team and this number. Now I'm really looking forward to starting preparations for the season with my new team-mates very soon."
Michael Cuisance donned that shirt last season after Jerome Boateng wore that number for 10 seasons following his switch from Manchester City in 2011. The latter has written himself into Bayern folklore with the number of trophies and appearances he racked up at the Bavarian club over the decade he was there. Mark van Bommel and Thorsten Fink are amongst the other names to wear that jersey.
"I'm really happy to finally be at FC Bayern in Munich," Mane added. "We spoke a lot and I felt big interest from this great club right from the beginning, so for me there were no doubts. It's the right time for this challenge.
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"I want to achieve a lot with this club, in Europe too. During my time in Salzburg I watched a lot of Bayern games - I really like this club!"
Bayern are the fifth club of Mane's professional career. He's previously played for Metz, Red Bull Salzburg, Southampton and Liverpool. The 91-cap international's other honours include the Africa Cup of Nations, Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup.
"Sadio Mane is a global star, who underlines the appeal of FC Bayern and will increase the attractiveness of the Bundesliga as a whole," said Bayern president Herbert Hainer.
"Fans come to the stadiums to see such players. It's great that our board led by Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic have managed to sign a player like Sadio Mane for FC Bayern."
