Even though Sadio Mane is one of the world’s wealthiest football players, he has not forgotten the impoverished Senegalese hamlet where he grew up.
According to MailOnline, the former Liverpool forward recently paid an estimated £1 million towards the construction of new Bambali hospitals and schools.
Sadio Mane inaugurates €500,000 hospital he built in his birthplace of Senegal – Kessben Online
His most recent gift to a rural town in West Africa is a brand new miniature soccer stadium complete with spectator seating and artificial turf.Mane, 31, and his 19-year-old Senegalese girlfriend Aisha Tamba married over the weekend, and last week’s ceremony was the official unveiling of the pitch.
Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s star, visits the construction site of the school he’s building in his hometown village in Senegal.
Mane, who reportedly earns around £34 million per year with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, has recently sponsored the stadium in town. It replaces Bambali’s former football pitch, which had turned into a mud puddle during wet weather.
Sadio Mané, the generosity king, is transforming his hamlet into a city
Mane, who is preparing to skipper Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations competition beginning this weekend, contributed £250,000 to build a school in Bambali for 2019.
Later, he donated £500,000 to assist create a hospital for the town and 34 surrounding settlements.
He has also funded the development of a petrol station, a post office and 4G mobile internet service in his community. He has also provided free laptops and $400 awards to each of Bambali High School’s top-performing students.
Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s star, visits the construction site of the school he’s building in his hometown village in Senegal.
Mane is also said to have given each family in his previous neighbourhood, which has 2,000 residents, a monthly stipend of 70 euros, which is equivalent to Senegal’s minimum wage.
After participating in a “gala” match on the old earth surface where he used to play as a child in June 2022, alongside former Premier League stars Papiss Cisse and El-Hadji Diouf, Mane decided to invest in a new football stadium.
He posted a snapshot and video of himself on the sodden pitch to his Instagram feed, which has over 16 million followers.
“Heading back to the source with a gala game at Bambaly pitch where it all started!!!” read the caption that accompanied the photos. Many thanks for this. To my siblings.
He pledged to upgrade the surface at the event, and he kept his word by giving financing for the construction of the brand-new little stadium, known as Stade de Bambali.
Mane acknowledged his joy during the facility’s inauguration event, which included a ribbon cut in Senegal’s national colours.
He made it clear: “I stand before you on this FIFA-standard football pitch, which holds great personal significance for me, with a heart full of joy and immense pride.”
This is more than just a symbol of my affection for my village. It represents our strength, unity, and love of football beyond all else.
On social media, fans of the West African football player praised his most recent gift and dubbed him a “great hero.”
Congratulations, buddy, said one supporter. Nothing beats being at home. Another individual added, “I’m so proud of this man.” May God continue to bless you.
Mane, who was born in Bambali to Guinean parents, recalls playing football with a grapefruit instead of a ball in the past.
His story of rags to riches was told in the 2020 documentary Made in Senegal. In it, he recalled how his father, a local imam, died when he was just seven years old, and how, because Bambali lacked a hospital, he was forced to seek treatment in a neighbouring hamlet.
Much of Mane’s charity in Senegal’s Sédhiou area, where the World Bank estimates that more than 70% of households live in poverty, was motivated by his father’s death.
“I remember my sister was also born at home because there is no hospital in our village,” he explained in the film. For all of them, it was a very terrible situation. I wished to build one to give people hope.
The documentary, which is available for free on Rakuten TV, shows Mane being assaulted by enthusiastic neighbours when visiting Bambali.