Sadio Mane and his teenage wife Aisha Tamba have held a ‘bapteme’ ceremony for their newborn daughter Animata in their homeland of Senegal.
The ex-Liverpool star, 32, and Tamba, 19, tied the knot in January 2024, before Tamba returned to school to complete her studies.
She only left school eight months ago to join Mane in Saudi Arabia following his move to Al-Nassr in 2023, but the couple welcomed their first child together earlier this month and had her naming ceremony last Thursday.
The traditional ‘bapteme’ naming ceremony took place in Senegal’s capital city, Dakar, and was celebrated at Mane’s uncle’s house.
Tamba’s mother made a grand arrival in a traditional yellow dress, while her father dressed in all-white for the joyous occasion.
A video from the ceremony showed family members dancing and clapping as they celebrated Animata’s naming ceremony.
Much has been made of the age gap between Mane and his wife given he was 31 when they married, while Tamba was just 18.
Mane is believed to have met Tamba when she was aged 16 and paid for her final years in school, with her father revealing the star first set eyes on her ‘more than two years’ before the wedding.
Tamba’s father said last year: ‘My wife and Aisha visited their (Mane’s) family one day, and this is where he met her for the first time.
‘He [Mane] 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.’
Back in January, Mane spoke about starting a family with Tamba as he revealed how many children he would like to have with his wife.
Mane allegedly first knew of Aisha when she was 16 but it was claimed that he did not approach her formally at the time
‘If it is just a choice, I would say three or four (children),’ he told Senepeopleplus. ‘Except that it is God who decides and I will thank Him no matter what.
‘Whatever the number is, I will accept it. I am leaning more towards three or four and we will see about the rest.’
Mane returned to Saudi Arabia shortly after Thursday’s ceremony to play in Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Kholood on Friday night.
Al-Nassr picked up a 3-1 win, with Mane scoring his side’s second, and he dedicated his goal to his baby daughter by doing a rocking motion for his celebration.
