The Grass to Grace Journey of African Football Icon Sadio Mané

Sadio Mane © I Love Liverpool

By @Askanwi

Born in the small village of Bambali, Sedhiou in Senegal to Guinean parents, Sadio Mané grew up with a strong passion for football and struggled to achieve his dreams. His father an Imam, wanted him to focus on his religious studies but passed away when Mané was just seven years old. Despite his father’s wishes, Mané’s love for football continued to grow and eventually flourished on the biggest stage.

At the age of 15, with the help of a childhood friend, he ran away from his village to pursue his dream in Dakar. Although it was a difficult experience, with the support of some family members, he continued to persevere despite the odds. The runaway village boy found himself playing barefoot with a tattered ball but never gave up. With hard work and determination, he played day after day honing his skills to eventually become Africa's best player of the year in 2019 and 2020. Months pass by and his hard work and determination start to yield fruits.

One day, after a local match, a coach who was closely observing him saw his incredible skills and raw ability and invited him to join Generation Foot a renowned academy in Senegal. From there, the Senegalese star moved to France where he began his professional career with FC Metz before moving to Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. His next stop was Southampton in the Premier League, followed by a blockbuster move to Liverpool where he established himself as one of the World's best players.

Sadio Mane Liverpool Achievements © Sky Sports News

During a successful period in England, Mané won the Premier League for the Scousers after over three decades in the 2019 - 20 season. Growing from strength to strength, he then added the most coveted Champions League trophy in the 2020 season.

After breaking records in the Premier League Mané joined German giants Bayern Munich and later moved to Al Nasar in Saudi Arabia where he now plays alongside football legend and the World's all-time top goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Throughout his career, Mané has scored bags of goals for every club he has passed through and is the current all-time top scorer for the Senegalese national team, the Teranga Lions.

The once village boy has risen to win numerous trophies, including the African Footballer of the Year in 2019, and became the third African player to score 100 Premier League goals, joining the ranks of Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah.

Mané finished 4th in the 2019 Ballon d'Or and ranked 5th in 2022, with FIFA Men’s Player rankings placing him 5th in 2019 and 4th in 2020.

In the 2021 final, Mané scored the winning kick in the penalty shoot-out to give Senegal their first Africa Cup of Nations title and he was also named the Player of the tournament. In 2022, he was crowned African Player of the Year for the second time.

Beyond football, Mané's love and passion for his hometown has seen him provide unprecedented support to the people of Senegal and Bambali in particular with his impressive charity work. His incredible charity work won him the Socrates Award in 2022.

Mane making history for Senegal © This is Liverpool