Klopp likened Mane to a rapper on first meeting
Liverpool star Sadio Mane revealed Jurgen Klopp said he was "like a rapper" as he turned down the chance to sign the attacker while at Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp opted against signing Mane during his time at Dortmund, where he was manager from 2008 to 2015, a decision he later said was a mistake.
Mane felt the Liverpool manager had made an error, joking about how Klopp had perceived him at the time.
"He said I was like a rapper!" Mane told The Guardian. "But I think I gave my best so what can I say? That's part of life – you never know how you are going to get along with people. But I think he was wrong for sure.
"It was an experience for me as well though. I knew I had to show him more until we met again."
Together at Liverpool, Mane has developed into one of the world's best attackers under Klopp.
Mane praised the German for his belief in his players, highlighting Liverpool's incredible comeback win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals last season.
"What makes him special is that he never stops believing," Mane said. "In the meeting before the game he was really convinced that we could do it, even though we were missing two of the best players in the world [Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino].
"He pushed the boys hard to give everything possible and tried to take the pressure off us."
