Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has opened up about his turbulent Anfield exit, shedding light on his infamous doping ban and fallout with Jürgen Klopp. Once seen as a key figure in Brendan Rodgers’ squad, Sakho’s career at Liverpool took a sharp turn after a 2016 drug test revealed traces of a fat-burning substance. Though later cleared and even issued an apology by WADA, the damage was done—Sakho was banished from Klopp’s first team and never played for Liverpool again.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo in 2025, Sakho reflected on how the ordeal altered his career trajectory: “I was confident everything was going well before the doping story changed my path. But I believe in God, and I accept it. In the end, I proved my innocence and made my family proud.”
Now playing for Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi, Sakho insists there’s no lingering bitterness toward Klopp: “I always respect him. Football is football—sometimes decisions are made, and that’s it.”
Despite a career that could have unfolded differently, Sakho remains positive, focusing on the future rather than the past. Was his Liverpool exit justified, or did the doping saga unfairly cost him his Anfield
dream?
