There’s no doubt that Sadio Mane’s star shines brightly on the field. Off it, though, the big-name Bayern Munich signing is even more influential.Bundesliga.com details how the Senegal star prefers to use his status to help others rather than flaunt the trappings of fame.
It would be easy for a player like Mane to forget about where he came from. Having got 120 goals and 38 assists in 269 games for Liverpool – winning English Premier League, European and African titles along the way – the exciting attacker is a global superstar.
Humility, however, has been a constant feature of Mane’s character since he began climbing the footballing ladder. One such insight came when he collected the African Men’s Player of the Year award in January 2020.
To publicise the ceremony as part of a photo shoot, Mane found himself asked to sit upon an oversized armchair with the large golden prize in one hand. Not unreasonably – given that the then-Liverpool player had been named the best on the continent and was now occupying what resembled a throne – someone in the room joked that the Senegal international was “the king.”
In a clip that soon went viral, it took a couple of seconds for Mane to register what was said. The reaction after that was swift, though. His infectious smile briefly vanished from his face, and he politely wagged his finger at the man who had addressed him. “No, no, no… I’m not the king.”
The implication seemed clear. Mane would accept the plaudits and play along with some of the more gaudy aspects of promoting the industry. But he wasn’t any different to you or I.
A cynic would argue that it’s easy for a player to make a show of appearing modest when there are cameras around. Mane, though, has done plenty away from the limelight that proves he’s a long way from the stereotype of a conceited and uncaring modern-day footballer.
The 30-year-old was brought up far from the bright lights and excesses of the glamorous football world he now inhabits. The nature of that upbringing – and the profound setbacks he dealt with along the way – have helped to keep him grounded.
They made him want to give something back as well. In the 2020 documentary film Sadio Mane: Made in Senegal, the player explained how he lost his father at the age of seven in part because there were no major medical facilities in his home village of Bambali.