Inside former Liverpool star’s surprising new career surrounded by luxury in Dubai 14 months after manager bust-up
A former Liverpool captain is pursuing new dreams in a glamorous venture based out of Dubai – just 14 months after leaving a European club under a cloud.
The 34-year-old ex-international recently launched a blue chip business across property, high-end experiences, interior design, consulting, and video production.
Mamadou Sakho enjoyed the launch party for Sakho & Co in Dubai in November and his business runs with the motto of ‘Elevate Your Game’.
Only 14 months ago, Sakho left French club Montpellier after a reported row in training with then-manager Michel Der Zakarian. Newspaper L’Equipe claimed witnesses saw him grab the manager by the collar and push him to the ground, something Sakho denies.
In June, Sakho joined little-known Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi, playing for them 13 times.
However, his social media output has been focused on his lifestyle and business inthe United Arab Emirates, where he has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Max Verstappen, Bacary Sagna, Florent Malouda, and former Liverpool team-mate Christian Benteke.
Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has launched his career as an entreprenuer
The main venture of Sakho & Co. is ‘Sakho properties’, which sees the former French international show prospective clients around high-end homes
One property advertised is a 75th-floor penthouse with panoramic views in Dubai, UAE
Sakho has hired multiple professionals to aid him as part of a five-pronged business
Sakho calls his newfound passion his ‘UFO’.
The dominant strand of his business, Sakho properties, works across Dubai, Paris, Marrakech, and Senegal.
Among the properties they have been dealing with include a five-bed waterfront villa selling for £9.6million in the exclusive Dubai neighbourhood of Palm Jumeirah, complete with a private pool and a ‘maid’s room’.
If that isn’t to one’s taste, then how about a two-floor Parisian penthouse within a stone’s throw of the Eiffel Tower going for around £8.4m?
Sakho was recently advertising for a real estate agent at his company with a salary of ‘uncapped earning potential’.
The former French international regularly features in the business’ videos, walking prospective buyers around properties, decked out in his sunglasses.
Alongside his launch party in November, Sakho posted: ‘It is finally time to share a project that unites my passion for football with my entrepreneurial spirit, a spirit that has been forged and enriched in recent years and to which every minute of my free time has been dedicated.
‘I can’t wait to introduce you to Sakho & Co, an ecosystem that offers a complete range of interconnected services designed to support entrepreneurs, investors and individuals looking for tailor-made solutions!’
Sakho played for Liverpool for three seasons but left early into Jurgen Klopp’s reign
The ex-defender has traded getting stuck into tackles for getting stuck into business meetings
His new life in the United Arab Emirates has seen him become a guest of Red Bull at the F1
Wearing his swanky clothes and holding meetings with prospective clients, this corporate life is a fry cry from the one that saw him build a reputation as a fearsome defender on the football pitch.
Liverpool signed Sakho from Paris Saint-Germain for £18million in September 2013.
He arrived with a big reputation, having been PSG’s youngest-ever captain at the age of 17 years and eight months.
He helped the Reds finish second in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers in the 2013-14 season.
However, despite his undeniable talent, the centre-back only spent three seasons playing for Liverpool.
Ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, he was sent home from Liverpool’s pre-season tour in the United States by manager Jurgen Klopp after missing a team meeting and turning up late to a recovery session.
He spent that season on loan at Crystal Palace before signing for the London side permanently for £26m in September 2017.
He spent a further three full seasons there before moving to Montepellier shortly into the 2021-22 season.
