Sadio Mane proudly showed that his wife Aisha Tamba is his phone background as the former Liverpool forward flew to the African Cup of Nations with his Senegal team-mates.

Mane married Aisha in a ceremony in Senegal on January 7 in Keur Massar, ahead of travelling out for the tournament.

Aisha’s father Amadou Tamba has revealed she had a traditional arranged marriage to the footballer and that they did not date before tying the knot.

He also confirmed that Aisha is 18 and Mane, 31 first set eyes on her ‘more than two years ago’ when she went to visit his family with her mother.

Mane and his Senegal team-mates fly to the Ivory Coast ahead of the start of their African Cup of Nations title defence.

Footage from the flight saw Mane turn his phone around to proudly reveal his wife as his new phone background.

The photo appeared to be from their wedding, where Aisha was seen wearing a Aisha wearing a mermaid-style intricate, fitted, lacey dress, with long sleeves and a silky veil.

According to local reports, the marriage was agreed while she was still at school with the decision reached by both families to wait until she reached 18 so that she could finish her studies. Mane has been reportedly funding her education.

The legal age of consent in Senegal is 16 years of age.

Mr Tamba said: ‘With the values and all that she heard about him, she accepted voluntarily. But as parents we also guided and advised her to freely make up her mind. God did what’s best for her.’

According to friends of the family, Mane’s uncle, who is close friends with Mr Tamba, acted as a go-between with an imam visiting him to make a formal marriage proposal on behalf of the footballer.

Mr Tamba is a wealthy contractor in the construction industry who revealed that he has been working closely with Mane and his family on a number of projects since 2013.

He also said that he had grown close to the multi-millionaire footballer and appreciated his values, which influenced his decision to agree to the marriage.

He said: ‘I knew that Sadio and all his family are very good and humble people. Sadio is just the reflection of his family.

‘However, as a father I also needed to know more about him, his education, his faith in God, humility. And I came to know much more that he is a good person.

‘Sadio and I talk much about the projects, but we also talk about life in general and he taught me a lot, although he is still young. He knows a lot about life, and I learnt much from him. So, that’s why I didn’t hesitate to accept his request to marry Aisha.’

Mane's wedding had even been referenced by Senegal President Macky Sall as he hosted the national team at a traditional flag handover ceremony this week.

'First of all, I would like to warmly congratulate our national Nianthi, Sadio Mane, who has just got married,' Sall said.

'I called him up so that we could applaud him and wish him a happy marriage.

‘May God bless your home and your descendants. From now on you have another job apart from scoring goals.’

Mane was seen laughing in response to the joke alongside his team-mates, with the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward covering his face with his hands.

Another video also went viral of a fan asking Mane about the wedding. Mane was seen joking with the fan, while also stopping for photos with other supporters.

‘Thank you for the messages, except that all single people must now leave Senegal,' Mane said to the fan.

The forward will be a key part of Senegal's title defence in the Ivory Coast.

The tournament holders set to face Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia in the group stage.

Senegal will face Gambia in their first match of the tournament on January 15.