Sadio Mané: from Senegal to the pinnacle of international football

Senegalese forward Sadio Mané was born on April 10, 1992. He now plays for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Senegal national team. His pushing, dribbling, and speed have earned him a reputation as one of the world’s top players and among Africa’s greatest of all time.

Mané came in second place at the 66th annual Ballon d’Or awards, losing out to Karim Benzema. In his final season at Anfield, 2021/22, Liverpool finished as Premier League runners-up and Champions League finalists, thanks to the efforts of Mané.

In acknowledgment of his charitable activities in his native Senegal, Mané was honored with the inaugural Socrates Accolade, France Football’s humanitarian award, presented at the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The Senegalese striker joined Bayern Munich during the offseason. He had 23 goals and five assists in all competitions for the 2021/22 season. He also won the Africa Cup of Nations at the start of the year for his country, Senegal.

Mané’s achievements both on and off the field are noteworthy. He began his career at the renowned football academy Generation Foot in Senegal. Because of how well he played, the French club FC Metz invited him and offered him a professional contract. 

After a challenging first year in Europe, Mané began to realize his full potential at Red Bull Salzburg, where he won a domestic double in 2013–14 (league and cup). After scoring 45 goals in two years, he was moved to Southampton, which helped him get promoted to the Premier League.

Mané joined Liverpool FC in 2016, assisting the team to consecutive UEFA Champions League Final appearances in 2018 and 2019, with the latter victory. The Premier League Golden Boot went to him because he concluded the 2018–19 season as the league’s joint-best goal scorer. He received the African Footballer of the Year award that same year. Mané then contributed to Liverpool’s 2019–20 Premier League victory, which helped break their 30-year league title drought.

When he scored three goals against Porto in February 2018, he made history by becoming just the second player to record an away hat trick in the Champions League. Per a report from PlanetSport, Mané scored in the championship game as well, but the Spanish giants, Real Madrid, defeated Liverpool 3-1.

Off the field, Mané is renowned for his benevolent support of his neighborhood and his native Casamance. Mané was raised in a household that placed a high priority on education, and he has carried this attitude with him throughout his life. 

He recently provided funding for a school in the hometown of his family to improve access to education and offer kids a better chance at the future, Right to Play—an NGO championing children’s education—where Mané serves as its Global Ambassador—wrote about the Bayern Munich forward.

Mané is presently tenth all-time in terms of appearances and is fifth all-time in goals for Senegal. He competed for Senegal in the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as well as the 2012 Olympic Games. Mané served as the team’s captain in 2019, guiding Senegal to a runner-up finish. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing restrictions, the 2021 African Cup of Nations was contested early this year, and he guided his nation to victory. Mané also served as the captain and campaigner for his country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was their second participation in the event. 

Mané’s career is an extraordinary success story that is not yet complete. The 30-year-old forward will lead Senegal to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament, which kicks off on Sunday, November 20 to December 18, 2022.