The father of the wife of former Liverpool winger Sadio Mané has confirmed that she is 18 years old. Early reports first claimed that Mané’s bride, Aisha Tamba, was 18, while other claims across social media suggested that she was 26.
That confusion has now seemingly been cleared up after her father, Amadou Tamba, spoke to local Senegalese media. The couple held a private wedding ceremony in Dakar, Senegal, earlier this month.
Mr Tamba has explained the pair first met “more than two years ago” when he, his wife and Aisha were visiting Mané’s family. The former Liverpool star’s family later approached Mr Tamba and his wife regarding the potential of the Al-Nassr winger marrying their daughter, and both families agreed to follow the tradition of not dating before they were married.
Mr Tamba, speaking about the couple to local media, as quoted by the Daily Star, said: “She is 18… It was more than two years ago. (the first time Mané met her).
“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.
“With the values and all that she heard about him, she accepted voluntarily. But as parents we also guided and advised her to freely make up her mind. God did what’s best for her.”
Aisha, who is studying a baccalaureate, returned to school five days later after marrying the 31-year-old star, where she received a hero’s reception from her fellow students. Overcoming initial shyness, Aisha smiled and waved down to the crowds like a new member of the royal family as they chanted “Aissa amena jekeuer”, which is said to translate to “Madame Sadio Mané”.
Senenews described her as modest and reserved while receiving the reception, with a “preference for peace and quiet over media agitation.”
Newly-married Mané received congratulations from his international teammates as well as the Senegal president, who also wished the team luck for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Mané is set to captain the defending champions on Monday as they take on Gambia in their first group match of the tournament, just under two years since they defeated Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in the final on penalties in 2022.
