In a surprising turn of events, Al-Ettifaq’s captain, Jordan Henderson, left fans taken aback by his reaction to his former Liverpool teammate, Sadio Mane, during the customary exchange of greetings before the Saudi Pro League opener against Al Nassr.
In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo due to injury, it was Sadio Mane who led Al Nassr as captain for the match.
As Mane approached for the pleasantries, Henderson, the ex-Liverpool captain, appeared to awkwardly snub the Senegalese forward.
Mane, undeterred, continued on to greet the rest of the Al-Ettifaq players before the commencement of the game.
A video capturing this interaction quickly went viral on social media, showcasing Mane’s apparent surprise at his former captain’s demeanour.
Despite the unexpected moment, Mane swiftly moved forward, focusing on the game ahead.
After a blistering start, the Senegalese attacker managed to open the scoring just four minutes into the match for Al Nassr.
However, Al-Ettifaq made a comeback after the halftime break, with Robin Quaison, a Swedish-born Ghanaian, equalizing before Moussa Dembele secured the winning goal for the home team, as reported by the BBC.
Looking ahead, Mane and his teammates will be eager to recover in their upcoming game against Al Taawon, while Al-Ettifaq will be facing Al Hazm.
Mane aims dig at Salah
Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Sadio Mane gave a sarcastic answer to a fan after being asked about his former Liverpool teammate, Mohamed Salah, during Al-Nassr’s Arab Club Champions Cup celebrations.
The former Bayern Munich forward helped the Saudi Arabian side win the competition after beating rivals, Al-Hilal, in the final on Saturday.
Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored a brace as Al-Nassr came from behind to record a narrow win.
Fabinho gifted Rolex watch
Fabinho was left stunned after an Al-Ittihad fan gifted him a Rolex watch after an impressive display on his Saudi Pro League debut.
The former Liverpool midfielder excelled as his new team got off to a winning start by thrashing Al-Raed 3-0 on Monday night.
After the game, a supporter waited for the 31-year-old in the tunnel as the players left for their team bus, to surprise him with a present.