Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Al-Nassr squad put together a warm and heartfelt welcome for Sadio Mané following his return from a triumphant Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Senegal, a moment that quickly captured the hearts of fans online.
In a viral video circulating on social media, Mané is seen being greeted with hugs and loud applause from his teammates, who affectionately hailed him as “our champion Senegal boy.”
The celebrations continued on the pitch, where a cake bearing the message “Congratulations Senegal champion, congratulations Sadio” was presented, alongside images of the former Southampton star holding the Afcon trophy and celebrating with his teammates in Morocco.
@alnassr Welcoming back our champion, Sadio Mané ? The Nassr way ?? ♬ الصوت الأصلي - نادي النصر السعودي
Ronaldo stood next to Mané as the moment unfolded, cutting the cake before serving it to him, in a show of unity.
Mané, 33, played a key leadership role as Senegal clinched a dramatic 1–0 victory in extra time, courtesy of Pape Gueye’s winner in the 94th minute.
The tense final had earlier been marred by controversy after Morocco were awarded a questionable penalty in the closing moments of regular time, prompting Pape Thiaw’s men to briefly walk off the pitch in protest.
Order was eventually restored after 17 minutes of chaos, with the Liverpool legend calling his teammates back to resume the match.
That restart proved decisive, as Real Madrid ace Brahim Díaz completely mishit a Panenka attempt, sending the ball straight into the hands of former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who barely had to move.
Back in Riyadh, the Senegal international took a bite of the cake as his Al-Nassr teammates cheered loudly, clearly delighted to have him back in the dressing room.
Mané then expressed his appreciation, saying, “Thank you, guys.”
Speaking to the club’s official media team, the winger said his focus has now shifted back to domestic duties with Al-Nassr and maintaining momentum in the Saudi Pro League title race.
“Thank you guys, I’m really happy for the present. I didn’t expect this,” Mané said. “It showed a warm welcome and I’m really, really happy about it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
