Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp thought Sadio Mane 'looked like a rapper' when they first met

German admits he was put off signing midfielder when in Germany

July 26, 2020, Newcastle 1 Liverpool 3: Liverpool players celebrate during the last game of the season. Reuters

July 22, 2020, Liverpool 5 Chelsea 3: Naby Keita celebrates scoring the first goal with Georginio Wijnaldum. Reuters

July 15, 2020, Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in action against Arsenal's Reiss Nelson. EPA

July 11, 2020, Liverpool 1 Burnley 1: Manager Jurgen Klopp reacts as Liverpool lose their 10-0 per cent home record. AFP

July 8, 2020, Brighton 1 Liverpool 3: Mohamed Salah and teammate Sadio Mane in action against Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and Dan Burn. EPA

July 5, 2020, Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 0: Curtis Jones celebrates scoring his team's second goal. AFP

July 2, 2020, Manchester City 4 Liverpool 0: Manchester City's Raheem Sterling celebrates with Kevin De Bruyne on a bad night for Liverpool. EPA

June 24, 2020, Liverpool 4 Crystal Palace 0: Sadio Mane celebrates after scoring the final goal. EPA

June 21, 2020, Everton 0 Liverpool 0: Jordan Henderson speaks to his manager Jurgen Klopp after the Mersey derby stalemate, the first game post lockdown. EPA

March 7, 2020, Liverpool 2 Bournemouth 1: James Milner celebrates after a win that takes the club even closer to the Premier League trophy - before the season came to a three-month halt. Reuters

February 29, 2020, Watford 3 Liverpool 0: A shock defeat; Jurgen Klopp, defender Andrew Robertson and midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the final whistle. AFP

Ferbruary 24, 2020, Liverpool 3 West Ham 2: Sadio Mane celebrates scoring the late winner after Liverpool came from 2-1 behind. EPA

February 15, 2020, Norwich City 0 Liverpool 1: Sadio Mane scores the only goal to take Liverpool 25 points clear. Reuters

February 01, 2020, Liverpool 4 Southampton 0: Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the third. Reuters

January 29, 2020, West Ham 0 Liverpool 2: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is delighted after netting the second goal. Reuters

January 23, 2020, Wolves 1 Liverpool 2: Roberto Firmino (R) celebrates with Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk after scoring the second. AFP

January 19, 2020, Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0: Mohamed Salah celebrates after netting the second goal. Getty

January 11, 2020, Tottenham 0 Liverpool 1: Roberto Firmino celebrates with Xherdan Shaqiri. Reuters

January 2, 2020, Liverpool 2 Sheffield United 0: Sadio Mane, left, celebrates after scoring his team's second goal at Anfield. Reuters

December 29, 2019, Liverpool 1 Wolves 0: Jurgen Klopp and Trent Alexander-Arnold at the end of another win at Anfield. Getty

December 26, 2019, Leicester 0 Liverpool 4: James Milner celebrates after scoring the second goal with Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum at The King Power Stadium. Getty

December 14, 2019, Liverpool 2 Watford 0: Trent Alexander-Arnold takes a corner. Getty

December 7, 2019, Bournemouth 0 Liverpool 3: Naby Keita nets the second goal at Vitality Stadium. Getty

December 4, 2019, Liverpool 5 Everton 2: Sadio Mane scores the fourth goal in the Mersey derby. Getty

November 30, 2019, Liverpool 2 Brighton 1: Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring the second goal at Anfield. Getty

November 23, 2019, Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2: Roberto Firmino scores his team's second goal at Selhurst Park. Getty

November 10, 2019, Liverpool 3 Manchester City 1: Mohamed Salah celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal at Anfield. Getty

November 2, 2019, Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 2: Divock Origi watches a Sadio Mane shot cross the line for the second goal. Getty

October 27, 2019, Liverpool 2 Tottenham 1: Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the second goal from a penalty. Getty

October 20, 2019, Manchester United 1 Liverpool 1: Adam Lallana celebrates after scoring at Old Trafford. Getty

October 5, 2019, Liverpool 2 Leicester 1: James Milner celebrates with Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi and Andy Robertson after scoring the second goal from the penalty spot. Getty

September 28, 2019, Sheffild United 0 Liverpool 1: Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates scoring at Bramall Lane. PA

September 22, 2019, Chelsea 1 Liverpool 2: Roberto Firmino celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal at Stamford Bridge. Getty

September 14, 2019, Liverpool 3 Newcastle 1: Sadio Mane scores the first goal past Martin Dubravka. Getty

Ausgust 31, 2019, Burnley 0 Liverpool 3: Sadio Mane is tackled by Jack Cork at Turf Moor. Getty

August 24, 2019, Liverpool 3 Arsenal 1: Joel Matip celebrates in front of the Kop after scoring the opening goal. Getty

August 17, 2019, Southampton 1 Liverpool 2: Adrian saves a shot from Jannik Vestergaard at St Mary's Stadium. Getty

August 9, 2019, Liverpool 4 Norwich 1: Mohamed Salah scores the second goal on the opening day of the season at Anfield. Getty

Jurgen Klopp concedes his misjudgment cost him the opportunity to sign Sadio Mane years before the two eventually linked up at Liverpool.

The Liverpool manager was speaking in a documentary about the Senegal striker that was to air on Wednesday, in which he says the first time he met Mane - during the German’s tenure at Borussia Dortmund - he wasn't exactly impressed.

However, Klopp kept tabs on the then Red Bull Salzburg forward, taking particular note when Mane was at Southampton, where the Liverpool head coach says he started “dominating” in the Premier League.

Klopp, who joined Liverpool in 2015, had at that point seen enough to sign Mane for £34 million (Dh153.8m) the following year. Mane, 27, has gone on to play an integral role in Liverpool’s recent success, which should culminate this season in the club’s first top-flight title in 30 years.

"I remember my first encounter with Sadio. It was in Dortmund," Klopp told Made in Senegal. "There was a really young guy sitting there. His baseball cap was askew, the blond streak he still has today. He looked like a rapper just starting out. I thought, 'I don't have time for this'.

"Our team back then really wasn't bad. I needed someone who could handle not being a starter at the very beginning, someone I could develop.

"I'd say I have a pretty good feeling for people, but was I wrong. I followed his further career and continuing success in Salzburg. In Southampton, he just dominated."

Since signing for Liverpool, Mane has played 161 matches for the club, scoring 77 goals. Together with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, he has formed one of the most accomplished attacking triumvirate’s in world football.

In an interview with The Guardian, Mane referenced that initial meeting with Klopp, joking: "He said I was like a rapper! 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 …”

On Klopp’s management, which has guided Liverpool to last season's Uefa Champions League success and to the precipice of domestic glory, Mane added: “What makes him special is that he never stops believing.

"In the meeting before the [semi-final second leg against Barcelona] he was really convinced that we could do it. Even though we were missing two of the best players in the world [Salah and Firmino]. He pushed the boys hard to give everything possible and tried to take the pressure off us.”