| Intro | Senegalese footballer | ||||
| Is |
Sports official Athlete Football player Association football player Association football manager |
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| From | Senegal | ||||
| Type | Sports | ||||
| Gender | male | ||||
| Birth | 26 February 1961, Dakar, Dakar Department, Dakar, Senegal | ||||
| Age: | 59 years | ||||
| Family |
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Souleyman Sané (born 26 February 1961) is a retired Senegalese footballer who played as a striker. He is the father of Manchester City FC and Germany forward Leroy Sané.
Playing career
Sané was born to Senegalese diplomats, and moved to France at the age of four. He chose to be a footballer, much to the behest of his father, and played football at amateur level. In 1982, he was called up for military service, and according to the law he could be based close to his home as a promising sportsman. For this to happen, the FFF had to send over the necessary papers, but due to Sané being on his summer holiday at the time, he was unable to contact his parents. The application was missed, and Sané was ordered to serve across the border in the Black Forest.
There, he played for Donaueschingen part-time, where he was scouted by 2. Bundesliga side Freiburg. He signed his first professional contract in 1985. During three years at the club, he scored 56 goals and was top scorer in 1988. He then spent two seasons at Nuernberg, and in 1990, signed for Wattenscheid, then a Bundesliga club. He was noted for his speed, being able run 100 metres in 10.7 seconds, and for being one of the first black players to play in the Bundesliga.
In 1994, he joined FC Tirol Innsbruck, finishing as the Austrian Bundesliga’s top scorer at the end of the season. He then returned to Wattenscheid for two seasons. Sané played in Austria for Linz and also in Switzerland representing Schaffhausen in the latter part of the nineties. He would return to the Ruhr valley, where his family were situated, and played for different amateur clubs in the region.
In all, he scored 51 goals in 174 (West) German top-flight appearances.
Coaching career
Sané worked as a coach for the Zanzibar national football team from 2008 to 2011, and as a player-coach for DJK Wattenscheid during the 2009–10 season.
Honours
Individual
- 2. Bundesliga top scorer: 1987–88 (21 goals)
- Austrian Football Bundesliga top scorer: 1994–95 (20 goals)
Personal life
Sané is married to Regina Weber, and has three sons, all of which were in Schalke 04’s youth academy. Leroy Sané being one of them.