Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino may have enjoyed great times at Liverpool together – but that didn’t stop the Senegalese star from goading his former teammate on Friday night. Mane’s Al-Nassr clashed against Firmino’s Al-Ahli in what proved a thrilling clash, with the former winning 4-3, courtesy of a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, Ronaldo’s goals weren’t the only talking point, with the behavior of Mane taking a jibe at his ex-Liverpool counterpart. After the Portuguese striker opened the scoring for Al-Nassr, Talisca made it 2-0 after just 17 minutes.
Talisca scores a Puskas contender 🏆
Talisca is number 2 in the world behind 🐐 Ronaldo right now. 🇧🇷 Brazil won’t start winning until they call him 😶 pic.twitter.com/9y3dQZhTeD
— Svetlana (@laneksa7) September 22, 2023
After Talisca’s goal, while Al-Nassr players ran to him to celebrate, Sadio Mane was seen somewhere else. He ran towards a gutted Firmino, and then he pointedly jumped on the back of his former Liverpool teammate, mocking the fact that his team was lagging behind.
Sadio Mané jumped on Roberto Firmino’s back after Al Nassr scored against Al Ahli.
Still teammates deep down 😅 pic.twitter.com/dr83NZbszk
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 24, 2023
Firmino, who left Anfield when his contract expired in the summer, didn’t appear to react with any volatility, instead walking away from the situation. Mane meanwhile, headed in the direction of Talisca and co to the corner flag.
Fans, however, did not seem to take it on the same note as Mane. Some fans thrashed Mane for breaching the code of jumping and teasing an opponent. Some others accused Mane of unseriousness and the Saudi Pro League of being a ‘vacation league’.
Mane and Firmino’s role in the ‘Fab Three’ attacking trio of Liverpool
Mane and Firmino constructed the attacking trio namely ‘Fab Three’ with Mohammed Salah, which lit up the pitch for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. The trio was considered one of the most lethal attacking forces in Europe, such was their chemistry and ability to punish the opposition.
Exatamente 3 anos atrás, o trio Salah-Firmino-Mané fazia esse belíssimo gol contra o Chelsea.pic.twitter.com/CtShCnxB6X
— Central Liverpool Brasil (@central_lfc_br) September 20, 2023
Firmino has been at Anfield for the entirety of Klopp’s tenure, while Mane joined in 2016. The trio has a combined 731 appearances between them. During that time, Mane and Firmino have played 197 games together, in which they’ve tasted victory 126 times.
Since the formation of this trio in the 2017-18 season, they have combined for an incredible 338 times for hitting the back of the net, resulting in a goal. Salah leads the charge with 156 goals while Mane scored 107 and Firmino netted 75 goals while playing together.
No trio has ever scored as many goals in a single UCL campaign as Mané, Salah & Firmino (30). 🤯
🇪🇬 10G 4A
🇸🇳 10G 1A
🇧🇷 10G 7A pic.twitter.com/foTd8cubkO— The Anfield Buzz (@TheAnfieldBuzz) September 19, 2023
Incredibly, the Trident hit 30 goals, 10 each, on their way to the blockbuster in the Champions League final 2017-18 in Ukraine. That was the most by three team-mates in any edition of the tournament. The trio were also prolific assist providers for each other. Since Salah joined the party, the trio have combined total of 139 assists between them, in which Salah has 58 assists, Firmino has 50 assists and Mane has 31 assists.
Over the following years, they went on to win the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the Club World Cup, as well as the Champions League for the Red Arrows.