Aside from his goalscoring form in Jurgen Klopp's team this campaign, Liverpool star Sadio Mane is renowned for his philanthropic gestures to his compatriots in Senegal as he is said to be funding a hospital in his native land to give hope of a better life to his people.
The 27-year-old in his latest documentary titled ‘Made in Senegal' revealed how situations around his early years inspired his humanitarian gesture.
“When I was young my dad was always saying how proud he was of me. He was a man with a big heart. When he died, it had a big impact on me and the rest of my family.
“I said to myself: ‘Now I have to do my best to help my mother.’ That’s a hard thing to deal with when you are so young.
Mane has contributed to the West African nation's fight against coronavirus, donating £40,000 to the government.
His success in England is inspiring children in Sedhiou province to play football and the 2019 African Player of the Year is eager to support their dreams with access to quality education.
“Education is the key. School comes first. You should be in good health before you go to work, so let’s finish the hospital,” the Senegalese attacker continued.
“When you see this kind of people and the offerings in front of the house, you think: ‘Wow, I have to work even harder for them.
“Maybe if there had been a better school when I was younger maybe I could have studied more. But it was not the case – I was in the village.
“So all the boys there want to play football and no one wants to go to school anymore. They just want to be a footballer like me … But I always tell them to make sure they have to be well-educated and go to school.
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“Of course they can keep playing football but it will help you more to be successful in what you are doing if you do both. It’s not like when I was young anymore because it was very difficult back then.”
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
