Dad of Sadio Mane's new 18-year-old wife says they 'first met two years ago'
Sadio Mane's new father-in-law said that the former Liverpool footballer who married his 18-year-old daughter didn't date her before the wedding.
Mane, who currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, got married to Aisha Tamba on 7 January in his native Senegal.
The wedding ceremony took place in Mane's new wife's home, with family and friends of the bride and groom present to witness the nuptials.
Advert
Tamba's father Amadou has since spoken out to clear up some details about the marriage between his 18-year-old daughter and the 31-year-old international footballer.
According to the Daily Mirror, Mane's new father-in-law said his daughter was 18 when she got married, but that the footballer had met her 'more than two years ago'.
The dad of Mane's wife said that she had known the footballer since she was at least 16.
He said: "My wife and Aisha visited their (Mane's) family one day, and this is where he met her for the first time.
"He probably saw something special in her and his parents appreciated her as well. They came to see me. We discussed as per the tradition, agreed on everything and waited for this day to happen.
"They were not dating because Aisha was still young."
The Tamba family have known the Mane's for more than a decade, as the Mirror also reports that Amadou Tamba works in construction and has completed work for Mane and his family since 2013.
Mane's father-in-law said that he knew Mane's family and thought the footballer was a 'good person', saying that he 'didn't hesitate' when Mane asked to marry his daughter.
He said: "I knew that Sadio and all his family are very good and humble people. Sadio is just the reflection of his family.
"However, as a father I also needed to know more about him, his education, his faith in God, humility. And I came to know much more that he is a good person.
"Sadio and I talk much about the projects, but we also talk about life in general and he taught me a lot, although he is still young.
"He knows a lot about life, and I learnt much from him. So, that's why I didn't hesitate to accept his request to marry Aisha."
When asked if he had any advice for his daughter's new husband he said that Mane should understand marriage is difficult and 'treat her like his own daughter, his own sister' and 'support her'.
Topics: Sport, Sex and Relationships
Joe Harker