Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992 in Sedhiou) is a Senegalese football player who currently plays for Bayern Munich. Having had a difficult childhood, he had an exceptionally tough time reaching the elite. Since becoming one of the best players in the world, the Bambali native converted into one of the most humble players in the world.
Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992 in Sedhiou) is a Senegalese football player who currently plays for Bayern Munich. Having had a difficult childhood, he had an exceptionally tough time reaching the elite. Since becoming one of the best players in the world, the Bambali native converted into one of the most humble players in the world.
Mané’s first football memory was in Génération Foot of Senegal, a first division team. In 2011, he headed to Europe and went to France to play with Metz. In 2012, he officially debuted with the first team.
He went on to play 23 matches and only scored 2 goals. Many scouts in Europe saw enormous potential in the Senegalese and were interested in him. In August 2012, Red Bull Salzburg bought him for 4 million euros. It was at that time that the legend of Mané rose to life, scoring 45 goals in 87 games and winning a title.
Mané’s adventure in England began at Southampton in September 2014. He managed to score 22 goals and give 25 assists in 70 games with the English team. In addition, he managed to beat the record for the fastest hat-trick. He scored 3 goals in 2 minutes and 56 seconds, thus achieving the fastest hat-trick in the Premier League.
In June 2016, Liverpool paid 41 million euros for Mané, a risky operation but one that has gone very well. The player arrived with doubts, and managed to win important titles: the Champions League, Premier League, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup. Liverpool's resurgence cannot be celebrated without the Senegalese winger.
Although it sounds unbelievable, Mané is even more special for his philosophy of life and how he chooses to spend his millions. The Bayern player sends 70 euros a month to each of the families in his old neighborhood in Senegal to help them. A gesture that confirms that he does not forget his origins.
In addition, he recently transformed his village (Bambali) of 2000 inhabitants into a city. He spent 500,000 euros to build a large hospital, and 300,000 euros to build a school. He gave away computers and mobile phones to all the children of the school, and introduced 4G technology so that they could be connected with the rest of the world.
He has also built a post office and a gas station. The service centers he has built are among the best in the country and people go there from all the villages in the area. "It is an initiative that touches my heart, it is important to help people and it makes me very happy."
Sadio Mané's father died of an illness when he was 7 years old. The reason was that he could not receive care because there was no hospital in Bambali. That tragic event marked his life forever, making him provide for his people so nothing like this happens to his people again.
"Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches or two planes? What are these objects going to do for me and for the world? I was hungry and had to work in the fields; I survived difficult times, I played football barefoot, I had no education and many other things, but today, with what I earn thanks to football, I can help my people," the striker explained to the Ghanaian media in 2019.
While Mané has won the last Africa Cup, and qualified his team for the World Cup again, what makes him shine is his big heart. Few footballers are as honest as he is, and that says a lot about his way of being.
After scoring 113 goals for Liverpool in 250 games, he left a significant void within the club. Darwin Núñez arrived to compensate for the loss, but it is difficult to overcome what Mané did for his team during his time there. He will always be remembered as a legend by fans.
Mané has a difficult role at Bayern, to be the star of the forward. When Robert Lewandowski left the club, it was not easy to get the figures of the Polish. But these years the German team has managed to win the Champions League and many consecutive Bundesligas. Will Mané perform as he did at Liverpool? He admitted that his people in Senegal recommended him to leave the English team. Either way, whether he plays for Germany, England or Senegal, Mané will continue to serve a bigger purpose, by helping those in need, and never forgetting where he comes from.
