Past playersSadio Mane

"He is a machine," said Klopp ahead of Mane's departure in 2022. "What he has done for this club puts him in the bracket of 'legend'."

Signed from Southampton in the summer of 2016, Mane was a key figure during Klopp's first full campaign as Liverpool manager, putting them on course to clinch a fourth-placed Premier League finish and a return to the Champions League.

His levels – as well as the team's – would continue to rise year upon year as part of Klopp's devastating forward line, predominantly featuring him in combination with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah

Mane broke the 20-goal mark in all competitions in 2017-18, with 10 coming in the Champions League as the Reds reached the Kyiv final, which ended in defeat by Real Madrid.

Twelve months later, however, he got his hands on European club football's biggest prize after starring in the victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.

Mane was ever-present during the triumphant Champions League journey and had produced his best Premier League campaign with 22 goals to win the Golden Boot, along with Reds teammate Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The following campaign would be a memorable one, on a personal and collective level. The 2019 CAF African Player of the Year helped Klopp's side make history by ending a 30-year wait to lift the Premier League title.

Mane racked up 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions throughout 2019-20, when Liverpool became league, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup winners.

Despite a hugely challenging 2020-21 season for the team and player himself, Mane was part of Liverpool's late surge to secure Champions League football, scoring twice on the final day to wrap up a third-placed league finish.

In 2021-22, he was rejuvenated as stadiums returned to full capacity after COVID-19 restrictions and thrived upon a mid-season positional switch from the left flank to the middle of the attack.

Mane scored his 100th goal for the club against Crystal Palace in the September, and a month later brought up his century in the Premier League – becoming just the third African player to reach three figures.

After guiding Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations glory for the first time in February 2022, he returned to Merseyside hungry for more silverware, as the Reds played every fixture available to them.

A starter in the success over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, Mane continued to operate in a central role during the push for the three other honours on offer. The FA Cup was added to his medal haul on a memorable day at Wembley in May, although his Liverpool career ultimately ended in heartbreak – narrowly missing out on the Premier League title and suffering defeat in the Champions League final.

But the disappointment of that week cannot come close to overshadowing, in any way, the joy and quality Mane brought to the club in his six-year stay.

A devastatingly effective player with an infectious personality, he will, quite rightly, go down as one of the best forwards in Liverpool's illustrious history.