Sadio Mane

Background

Sadio Mane, also known as 'the nicest guy in the game’, is a Senegalese footballer who plays for FC Bayern Munich. Mane was born in Banbali, Sedhiou, Senegal on April 10^th, 1992. He is now 30 years old. When Mane was 7 years old his father died, due to the poor health care system where he lived.

Career as a footballer

Sadio Mane is a professional footballer, who plays for FC Bayern Munich in Germany, but made a name for himself at Southampton FC, which allowed him a move to Liverpool FC, where he became the great footballer he is today.

Mane started his career at Metz in the French league, before moving to RB Salzburg in the Austrian league for a fee of 4 Million Euros. After his two-year spell in Austria, he made his move to the premier league joining Southampton on a deal worth 11.8 Million pounds. Southampton is where Mane made a name for himself and earned himself a move to Liverpool in 2016, which is one of the world’s best clubs. While at Southampton, however, Mane set an impressive record of the premier leagues fastest hat trick, as he scored 3 goals in only 176 seconds. In 2016, he moved to Liverpool for a large fee of 34 million pounds and it was at Liverpool where Mane earned most of the milestones he has reached in his career. At Liverpool, Mane won a Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup. During his time at Liverpool, in 2021, he also won the Africa Cup of Nations, with Senegal, which is the first time Senegal had ever won it. Along with all these great team awards Mane also has some very impressive individual achievements. This includes the 2018-19 golden boot winner in the Premier League, in 2019 he ranked fifth in ‘Best FIFA Men’s Player’ and in 2020 he ranked fourth in the same award. All these achievements enabled his to move to FC Bayern Munich in 2022.

Sadio ManéWiki CommonsWhy Mane is a Hero

Sadio Mane isn’t only a role model on the football pitch, but also someone to aspire to be like off the pitch. Mane is mainly classified as a ‘Hero’ due to the great work that he has done in Senegal, specifically his hometown of Banbali. One example of an incredible act of charity is that he gave $630 800 to the Senegalese government to be able to build a hospital in Banbali. His reasoning for this is that his father died when Mane was only 7 years old because of the poor health care system, so he said to the Guardian in 2020 “I wanted to build one to give people hope.” Another huge act of charity that Sadio Mane has performed is when he gave $300 000 to the Senegalese government so they could build a secondary school in his hometown of Banbali. His uncle spoke at the unveiling of this school and told the people that Mane said, “Education is very important. This is what will enable you to have a good career.” Mane has performed many other small acts of charity, including giving around $50 000 at the start of the Covid Pandemic to ensure everyone tries to stay safe. Another example is when he met a family at a hospital who couldn’t afford the treatment for their son, so Mane gave $620 to the family so they can buy the treatment that they needed. There are countless other acts of charity that Mane has done, which deservedly gave him the nickname, ‘the nicest guy in the game’.

Mane told an interviewer for a Ghanaian newspaper his reasoning for his kind acts of charity, he said, "Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, or two planes? What will these objects do for me and for the world? I was hungry, and I had to work in the field; I survived hard times, played football barefooted, I did not have an education and many other things, but today with what I earn thanks to football, I can help my people. I built schools, a stadium, we provide clothes, shoes, food for people who are in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people in a very poor region of Senegal which contributes to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.”

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