RB midfielder Kevin Kampl of Leipzig has identified Sadio Mane of Liverpool as the best team-mate he ever had.
When playing for Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg, the two crossed paths, with Mane eventually leaving for England in 2014 when he joined Southampton before transferring to Anfield in 2016.
The Senegalese attacker has taken the world of football by storm since his move to the Premier League and was voted African Footballer of the Year in 2019.
Although now among the best footballers in the world, Kampl has revealed that Mane’s skill was never called into question, particularly when he was still playing in Austria.
“In my tenure at Red Bull Salzburg, Sadio Mane was the best team-mate. He just had it all, the whole kit. He was fantastic on the pitch, extremely quick-both with and without the pitch. He was aggressive in front of the goal and he made great passes. It was already known he could become a very great player back then,” Kampl told Goal and Spox.
Mane, now 28, was the Premier League ‘s joint Golden Boot winner last season and played a central role in the Champions League victory in Liverpool. While Kampl currently plays for Leipzig in the Bundesliga having spent much of his career in Germany.
The midfielder’s tenure in Austria at Salzburg under coach Roger Schmidt was however a turning point for Kampl, who described the German coach as the most influential in his career to date.
Kampl also played at Bayer Leverkusen under Schmidt and the Slovenian admits he decided to leave the club after the boss had done so.
Mane was last season’s joint winner of the Premier League’s Golden Boot and played a crucial role in the Champions League win in Liverpool. Kampl now plays in Germany for Leipzig having spent most of his career.
