This star was one of many who went on to become a world-beater after leaving St Mary’s.
Southampton have been able to make millions from their affluent recruitment strategy across the past decade.
Their ability to unearth gems, develop them into stars and sell them on for huge profits is the key to unlocking a sustained business model.
In the summer, for instance, the Saints were recovering from their relegation to the Championship and were forced into selling a whole host of talent, recouping a staggering £159m (€183m) on the likes of Romeo Lavia, James Ward-Prowse and Tino Livramento.
Southampton have unearthed some unbelievable gems over the years, however, their £10m acquisition of Mane from Austrian outfit RB Salzburg is up there with the best.
The fleet-footed forward arrived with the pedigree of being destructive in the final third having chalked up an impressive 23 goals and 18 assists in the 2013/14 campaign and would soon carry that weight of destruction across to St Mary’s
In his debut campaign in the Premier League, Mane would form a devastating partnership with Graziano Pelle with the pair contributing to 29 of their 54 goals in the top fight, helping Southampton to seventh place finish.
Mane also became one of the most talked about footballers in the world in that season as he rewrote the history books by firing the fastest-ever Premier League hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Aston Villa – a record that still stands today.
In the following season, goals would continue to fall the way of the Senegalese – 11 of them to be exact – as the prying hands of Europe’s top clubs began to take notice of his talents.
Ultimately, Liverpool would win the race for his signature, moving to Anfield for a fee in the region of £34m, and representing a profit of around £24m since arriving on the south coast two years prior.
While he’s now currently ripping it up in the Saudi Pro League for Al Nassr, it was at Liverpool where Mane reached the pinnacle of his powers, forming arguably the most lethal trio in Premier League history, alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
This is a model that Southampton have followed shrewdly and was a large factor towards preserving their top-flight status for a decade as they were able to oversee the development of world-class players, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane, the latter of which was sold by a managerless club in 2016 after the departure of Ronald Koeman.