- Sadio Mane, 31, tied the knot with wife Aisha Tamba, 18, earlier this week
- Tamba received a heroes welcome as she returned to her school a day later
DAILY MAIL
18-year-old Aisha Tamba, who is the new wife of Sadio Mane, was warmly welcomed as she returned to her school a day after tying the knot with the Senegalese footballer.
The former Liverpool star, who now plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, married Tamba in an Islamic ceremony on January 7 in Keur Massar, a suburb in the capital city of Dakar, just six days before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations on January 13.
The marriage took place in Aisha’s home and was attended by family and close friends.
Her father Amadou Tamba revealed afterwards that his daughter is 18 and that Mane, 31, first set eyes on her ‘more than two years ago’ when she went to visit his family with her mother.
And, according to Senegalese outlet Senenews, new footage has shown Tamba’s new-found fame as she received a heroes welcome from her peers when heading back to her school the following day.
Tamba is studying for her baccalaureate at a school in Mbao, which is a town in Dakar. A baccalaureate is an academic qualification that students tend to obtain at the end of their secondary education.
In the report, a video showed hundreds of people gathering in the school grounds singing songs for Tamba and Mane.
They could be heard singing chants such as ‘Sadio amenda jabar – Aissaa amena jekeur’, which reportedly translates as ‘Madame Sadio Mane’.
In the clip, Tamba demonstrated her calm personality as she smiled before giving the adoring crowd a wave, with the 18-year-old seemingly taken aback by the positive reception she received.
The welcome given is also an example of how highly Mane is held in Senegal, with the report claiming his marriage to Tamba has generally been well-received in the country.
Mail Sport previously reported how their relationship is thought to have been kept under wraps until their wedding earlier this week, although friends, family and former team-mates reportedly attended the ceremony.
Following the low-key ceremony, which saw both the bride and groom dress all in white, Mane admitted that receiving so many congratulations left him overjoyed ahead of AFCON.
‘Honestly, I am happy [with] the fact the president has congratulated me just as much as, well, I would say not just my team-mates,’ Mane said late on Tuesday.
‘I think that all the people have congratulated me and wished me [luck] so I am happy and I hope that it’ll be okay.’
Mane is believed to have first met Tamba when she was aged 16, with her father Amadou Tamba revealing this week that the 31-year-old first set eyes on her ‘more than two years ago’ when she went to visit his family with her mother.
Mr Tamba 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.’
He added: ‘They were not dating because Aisha was still young.’
Mr Tamba did not give a precise date of when he first spoke to Aisha about marrying Mane but said he was never in doubt that she would not accept.
According to local reports, the marriage was agreed while she was still at school with the decision reached by both families to wait until she reached 18 so that she could finish her studies. Mane has been reportedly funding her education.
Mr Tamba said: ‘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.’
According to friends of the family, Mane’s uncle, who is close friends with Mr Tamba, acted as a go-between with an imam visiting him to make a formal marriage proposal on behalf of the footballer.
Mr Tamba is a wealthy contractor in the construction industry who revealed that he has been working closely with Mane and his family on a number of projects since 2013, with the football star well-known for his charity work in Senegal.
He also said that he had grown close to the multi-millionaire footballer and appreciated his values, which influenced his decision to agree to the marriage.
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.’
Mr Tamba said that he had developed a close bond with Mane over the years.
He added: ‘There is a strong trust in our relationship. This is not about his fame or his wealth. The first thing I like about him is his good education.
‘And now that I have given him my daughter, I would like him to take good care of her and especially to live as per the Muslim commandments, because he is a good Muslim.
‘I would like him to help her grow, though she is doing her best, this is very important for me.’
The proud father described his daughter as a ‘pious’ Muslim who has good knowledge of the Quran.
Mane and his new wife are both originally from the Casmance region of Senegal, which is in the south of the country and around 275 miles from Dakar. They belong to the same Sosse ethnic group and speak the same native language.
