Sadio Mane is one of Africa’s greatest-ever players, but his path to the top was unconventional.
Born in the quiet village of Bambali, Mane once fled to Dakar in the quest to realise his dream, insisting school simply was not for him. His father, who passed away when he was 15, also forbade him from playing football as a child.
Mane eventually got his wish to pursue football and signed for Generation Foot FC. During his time there, he helped the club to promotion into the Senegalese second division league.
An opportunity to join Metz - a club that already had a partnership with Generation Foot, followed afterward.
At just 19 years old in 2011, Mané left Senegal without telling his family and headed to France to trial with FC Metz.
During an interview with Liverpoolfc.com back in 2017, Mane himself recalled that pivotal moment his mother Satou Toure didn't believe her teenage son when he told her that he'd emigrated.
“I didn’t tell them, I only told my uncle. Even my mum, she didn’t know,” the forward recalls, when Liverpoolfc.com asks how he broke the news that he had joined FC Metz, his first European club, to his football-sceptic parents.
“I remember the first day I got there, to France. I was supposed to train but the coach said ‘stay at home’ and I didn’t have any credit on my phone card to call my mum.
“The next day, I went with some of my friends who were already at Metz to buy some cards. I called her and said: ‘I’m in France.’
“‘Which France?’ she said. She couldn’t believe it! I say: ‘France in Europe.’
“‘What do you mean Europe? You live in Senegal.’ I say: ‘No I’m in Europe.’ She was amazed, it was crazy!
“She was so surprised and she’d call me every day to ask if it was true. She didn’t believe me.”
Eventually, Mane’s mother finally believed his son had fulfilled what he wanted to achieve when she watched them play for Metz on TV.
Mane arrived in a foreign country, faced cultural adjustments. He also had to deal with the weather, homesickness and a pelvic injury. Yet he persevered.
His career skyrocketed with a move to Red Bull Salzburg. He later moved to Southampton, and eventually, Liverpool. Whilst there, he established himself as a global superstar, winning everything with the club- as well as an AFCON trophy for Senegal.
Mane also won the African player of the year for 2019 and 2022. His rise to prominence has also empowered him to give back to his community, including building schools and hospitals.
