The jaw-dropping way Sadio Mané spends his Saudi dollars

Sadio Mané is an African football legend who has won many trophies and made millions. However, the way the Senegalese star is spending that money shows that he has never forgotten his humble beginnings.

Mané was born in Bambali, a village of 2000 inhabitants in the Sédhiou region of Senegal, West Africa.

Photo: Instagram @sadiomaneofficiel

The village of Bambali is very poor, with little structure or assistance. When Mané was seven years old, he received the sad news that his father had died from a poorly treated disease.

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In the documentary 'Sadio Mané, Made in Senegal', the player also tells how he saw his sister born at home because there was no hospital in his hometown.

The Senegalese idol and current Al-Nassr striker has now built a successful career and a fabulous fortune, donating millions to improve the quality of life for his countrymen.

In 2021, while playing for Liverpool, he donated $500,000 (€462k/£390k) to build a hospital with a maternity ward in Bambali, his hometown.

Photo: Unsplash - Francisco Venancio

That same year, it entered into a partnership with a power company to bring electricity to remote parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

To start that collaboration, the first step was to install a gas station in Bambali. “For me, it is important to ensure that as many people as possible have access to education, health care and now energy,” Mané said, as quoted by Uol.

Two years earlier, in 2019, Mané donated a large amount for the construction of a school – for a total of $300,000 (€277k/£234k).

Photo: Unsplash - Annie Spratt

He not only funded a free high school for the population, but also sent laptops to the students and awarded $400 (€370/£312) to the best students.

Photo: Unsplash - Desola Lanre Ologun

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing the situation worsening, Mané donated around €50,000 ($54k/£42k) to the National Committee to Fight COVID in Senegal.

The Senegalese star pays each family in Bambali €70 ($76/£59) and offers free 4G internet to everyone in the village. With this, he wants to reduce social inequality and enable these areas to communicate with the rest of the country. In the photo, he holds up the 2022 German Super Cup trophy, won by Bayern Munich, his then-team.

From time to time, Sadio Mané hands out clothing and sports accessories to everyone in Bambali.

For all these merits, Sadio Mané won the Socrates Award during the Ballon d'Or ceremony, organized by France Football magazine. The award recognizes the player who has committed the most to social causes this season.

When he won the award in October 2022, the forward was playing for Bayern Munich and was presented with the trophy by former Brazilian footballer and brother of Sócrates, Raí.

The boy who ran away from home at the age of 15 to pursue his dream of becoming a footballer is now Senegal's all-time top scorer with 43 goals, per Transfermarkt.

He has played at the 2012 London Olympics, four times at the African Cup and at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Mané has also been named Africa's best player twice, in 2019 and 2022.

He is currently one of the leading strikers in world football. He played six seasons for Liverpool, winning titles in the Premier League, Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

On August 1, 2023, Al-Nassr announced the transfer of Mané, football star and king of humility.

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