I was sitting in my normal location at the Kano State Library of the Ahmadu Bello Way considering what to compose this week when a former editor of the Triumph Newspapers who is also the former Permanent Secretary, Malam Ado Umar Muhammad sent a video clip into my Whatsapp.
Noticing from who the clip was, I swiftly tapped the video to open and see what the former editor, who was among those that were instrumental to the fulfillment of my desire of becoming or turning into a pen pusher, is sharing with me.
For sure, Malam Ado is not a person I will forget easily, because of his unwavering contribution to what I am today as I can recall that during his weekend Triumph’s editorship days he used to entrusted me with a full page (Vox-pop) to sought for people’s views, opinions or reactions on certain matters for the paper he was mid-wifing for publication.
This was done in spite of the fact I was not a staff of his department, the Editorial Department but that of the Technical Services Department.
Additionally, I also recalled how after I transcribed what I got from the public and handed it to him, he used to guide and correct me whenever or wherever I err; because he used to call me, pointed out all my mistakes and guided me how it should be or what to do next time.
For that reason, up to now, I see Malam Ado Umar Muhammad as one of my coaches, mentors who assist me in becoming what I’m in the pen pushing arena today.
As the video opened and began playing, I discovered that it was a narrative on Sadio Mane, the Senegalese professional footballer.
As it goes on, the storyteller portrayed Mane, as a footballer who is changing his tiny village Banbali into a city in his country.
This is because he built a $600,000 hospital and a $300,000 school in his village. He also gave $ 76,000 per month to each family in the 2,000-person hometown and also provided 4G internet to them for free.
The clip further revealed that a philanthropic Sadio Mane is now building a big Post Office in his village turning it into something else.
Sadio Mane also earns over $40 million a year but unlike many other athletes according to the clip he spent most of what he earned not on luxury but on helping others.
In an interview with a Ghanaian Newspaper, Sadio Mane said, “why would I want ten expensive cars, twenty Diamond watches and two jets for? What will all these objects do for me and for the world?”. He asked as the video clip ended.
Under his community and philanthropy, Mané also donated £41,000 to the national committee fighting COVID-19 in Senegal in March 2020,. He has also financed the building of a petrol station and other infrastructures for his local community and also supplied schools with free laptops.
Mané is also an ambassador for Right To Play, an international non-profit organization with a mission to empower vulnerable children.
He has collaborated with the non-profit to provide equality and empowerment to young girls and women in Senegal, raising “awareness of the importance for both girls and boys to be able to access sport and education opportunities”.
Mane is a practicing Muslim and occasionally is seen making Du’a in public before the start of each match and is living an easy and exemplary life.
He was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation’s victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. .
Mane was born 10 April 1992 and is married to Aisha Tamba on 7 January 2024 through an Islamic rite. He presently plays as a forward or left winger for Saudi Pro League club, Al Nassr and the Senegal national team.
Known for his pressing, dribbling and speed, Mané is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the greatest African players of all time.
He was described as a complete player who plays with “high levels of intensity and concentration” by Liverpool teammate Fabinho.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also called Mané as a “world-class winger”, comparing him to the likes of former Liverpool player John Barnes.
He was also compared to Cristiano Ronaldo by his former Ajax defender Danny Blind, who praised him for his ability to score with either foot or headers, along with making “astonishing” sprints.
A versatile forward, Mané is a prolific goal scorer, whose main traits are his finishing, speed, technique, and trickery in possession, as well as his decision-making, tactical awareness, creativity, agility, balance, control, touch on the ball, and dribbling skills.
He has drawn praise in the media for his intelligent play, passing, and his ability to get into good positions, from which he can score goals or create chances for teammates.
Known for his quiet and timid personality, his ability to cope with pressure has also been highlighted as one of his main strengths.
Beyond his offensive, technical, and creative qualities, his high defensive work-rate has also been noted by pundits, as well as his ability in the air, despite his modest stature of 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in).
He began his professional career with Ligue 2 club Metz at the age of 19, but he departed after a solitary season to join Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in 2012 for a fee of €4 million, winning a league and cup domestic double in the 2013–14 season.
Later that summer, Mané transferred to English club Southampton for a club record fee of £11.8 million. There, he set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick, scored in 176 seconds in a 6–1 win over Aston Villa in 2015.
Mané signed for fellow Premier League club Liverpool in 2016, for a reported fee of £34 million, making him the most expensive African player in history at that time.
Having formed a formidable attacking trio with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino after the departure of prolific midfielder Philippe Coutinho, he helped the side reach back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter.
He also finished as the league’s joint-top goal scorer in the 2018–19 season, winning the Premier League Golden Boot.
Mané then helped end Liverpool’s 30-year league title drought by winning the 2019–20 Premier League. In October 2021, he scored his 100th Premier League goal, becoming the third African to reach the landmark.
He finished fourth and second in the 2019 and 2022 editions of the Ballon d’Or, respectively; and in The Best FIFA Men’s Player he ranked fifth in 2019 and fourth in 2020.
At international level, Mané has registered 44 goals in 109 appearances for Senegal since his debut in 2012, and currently ranks as his nation’s all-time top goal scorer, and second in all-time appearances.
He represented Senegal at the 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations.
In the 2019 tournament, Mané helped Senegal to a runner-up finish, and a year later, was named African Footballer of the Year.
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.
Mané also represented his nation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in its second-ever appearance in the competition.
Southampton (2014–15 season): On 1st September 2014, Mané transferred to Premier League side, Southampton for £11.8 million, signing a four-year contract.
He made his debut 22 days later in a 2–1 League Cup victory over Arsenal, winning the penalty for Southampton’s first goal.
On 16 May, during Southampton’s final home match of the season, Mané scored three times in 2 minutes 56 seconds in a 6–1 win over Aston Villa to set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick.
The record had been held since 1994 by Robbie Fowler, who scored three against Arsenal in 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Mané finished the season with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions.
Mané began the 2015–16 season by registering two assists in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg match with Vitesse Arnhem at home and scoring in the return leg, as Southampton eased through to the next round 5–0 on aggregate.
On 28th June 2016, Mané joined Liverpool for a transfer fee of £34 million (which could rise to £36 million) on a five-year contract. The transfer fee made him the most expensive African player in history at the time.
On 14 August, he made his Premier League debut for the Reds, scoring the fourth goal in a 4–3 away win against Arsenal.
Having missed Liverpool’s defeat at Burnley through a slight shoulder injury, Mané returned to the starting line-up against Burton Albion in the League Cup where he had two assists in a 5–0 win.
On 11 February 2017, Mané scored two goals within two minutes against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, for Liverpool’s first league win in 2017.
On 20 April 2017, Mané was named in the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 13 league goals in his first season with Liverpool. Despite missing the latter part of the campaign through injury, Mané was awarded the Liverpool Player of the Season award on 9 May 2017.
2017–Date: In the first match of the new season, on 12 August 2017, away to Watford, Mané scored Liverpool’s first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw. He was named Premier League Player of the Month after scoring a goal in each of the Reds’ three matches in August.
Mané, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho made up a prolific attacking quartet dubbed the “Fab Four” and “Fab Three” after the mid-season exit of the latter.
On 14th February 2018, Mané scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool in a 5–0 away win against Porto in the round of 16 first leg of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.
On 26th May, during the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid, Mané scored Liverpool’s equalising goal in a 3–1 defeat. In doing so, he became the first Senegalese player to score in the final of the competition.
His goal was also his 10th for the campaign which saw Liverpool become the first team in history to have three players score 10+ goals in a single Champions League season, with Mané achieving the milestone alongside fellow forwards Salah and Firmino.
On 22nd November 2018, Mané signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool. On 10 March 2019, Mané scored twice in a 4–2 win over Burnley, the second of which was his 50th competitive goal for Liverpool.
His goals also saw him become only the fifth Liverpool player to score in six consecutive home Premier League appearances after Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Luis Suárez and Salah.
Three days later, he scored twice more in a 3–1 win over Bayern Munich to help Liverpool progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
On 20th April, he was one of six players nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award alongside teammate Virgil van Dijk. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside Liverpool teammates, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Van Dijk.
On the final day of the domestic campaign, Mané scored twice in a 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On 1st June, Mané helped win an early penalty for Liverpool in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham, only 24 seconds after the kick-off, after his cross was judged to have hit Moussa Sissoko‘s arm inside the penalty area; Salah subsequently converted from the spot to open the scoring, and Liverpool ultimately won the match 2–0 to claim the title.
On 14th August 2019, Mané scored twice in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final against Chelsea in a match that Liverpool won 5–4 on penalties after the game had finished 2–2 after 120 minutes. Mané was named man of the match.
On his 100th Premier League appearance for Liverpool on 5 October, Mané scored his 50th league goal for the club in a 2–1 win over Leicester City.
On 21 October, Mané was named in the 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or. On 2 December he finished in fourth place for the award, behind Lionel Messi, Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Later that month, Liverpool won the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, with Mané setting up the winning goal scored by Firmino in the final against Flamengo.
On 7 January 2020, Mané was named the CAF African Footballer of the Year. He is only the second Senegalese (after El Hadji Diouf) to have won this award.
On 20 September 2020, Mané opened his scoring account in the 2020–21 Premier League with both Liverpool goals in a 2–0 win away to Chelsea.
On 2nd October 2020, Mané tested positive for COVID-19. Given his and Liverpool’s stuttering form, Mané stated that 2020–21 had been the worst season of his career. On 23 May 2021, the final day of the League season, Mané scored a brace in a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace securing third-place for Liverpool and qualification for the next Champions League season.
On 18th September 2021, Mané scored his 100th Liverpool goal in a 3–0 home win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
On 16 October, Mané scored his 100th Premier League goal—becoming the third African to reach the landmark after Didier Drogba and Salah—with Liverpool’s opening goal in the 5–0 win away to Watford.
Liverpool narrowly missed out on the chance to achieve a historic quadruple, coming second in the Premier League and the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League but winning both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
At Bayern Munich: Mané joined Bundesliga club, Bayern Munich on a contract with the German side until 30 June 2025. The fee was reported to be €32 million (£27.4m) potentially rising to €41 million (£35m) based on appearances plus individual and team achievements.
On 30 July 2022, Mané made his official debut, starting in the 2022 DFL-Super Cup and scored his debut goal to help Bayern to 5–3 victory over RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena. He followed this up a week later with his first Bundesliga goal in a 6–1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
On the 8th November, Mané suffered an injury and had to go off after 20 minutes of Bayern’s 6–1 victory against Werder Bremen.
This injury prevented him from competing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and he had to undergo surgery in his right fibula.
He stayed out for three months and made his return on 26 February 2023 as a substitute, coming on in the 65th minute for Kingsley Coman in Bayern’s 3–0 win against Union Berlin.
On 13 April, Mané was suspended and fined by Bayern, following reports he punched teammate Leroy Sané in the dressing room after a 3–0 Champions League quarter-final loss to Manchester City.
On 28 May, Mané won the Bundesliga following the concession of two points by league leaders Borussia Dortmund.
At Al Nassr: On 1st August 2023, Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr announced the signing of Mané. Mané later revealed that former Liverpool teammates Fabinho and Roberto Firmino had previously contacted him in order to recommend to him that he might join their clubs, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia respectively.
Two days later, he made his debut replacing Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa at halftime in their 1–1 draw with Zamalek in the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 August in a 2–1 loss against Al-Ettifaq in the league.
International career (2012–2017): Mané was part of the Senegal team at the 2012 Olympic tournament, and started every match as they advanced through Group A as runners-up to Great Britain before losing 4–2 after extra time in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Mexico.
Mané was ruled out of the Senegalese squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a calf injury in Southampton’s 2–0 win against Arsenal on 1 January 2015. He later returned to the squad, and started in their final two group matches against South Africa and Algeria in a group stage exit.
Mané represented Senegal at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and scored a goal in each of the nation’s opening two games, 2–0 wins against Tunisia and Zimbabwe. After a goalless draw in the quarter-final clash against Cameroon, he missed the penalty in the shoot-out that saw Senegal eliminated from the tournament.
In May 2018, Mané was named in Senegal’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against Japan in the group stage.
Mané started all three of Senegal’s group matches as they were eliminated after the first stage, finishing below Japan on fair play points.[120]
Mané was once again called up to Senegal’s final squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored two goals and missed a penalty in a 3–0 win against Kenya, as Senegal finished second in the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage.
Mané scored the only goal of the match and missed another penalty in Senegal’s 1–0 win over Uganda in the round of 16.
At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Mané starred for Senegal as they won the competition for the first time.
In the final against Egypt – a match which saw him go up against his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah – Mané saw his penalty saved in the 7th minute, but went on to score the winning kick in the penalty shootout.
As well as scoring the decisive kick to win the trophy, Mané scored three goals and had two assists prior to the final, and was named the player of the tournament.
In the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifications, he also scored the winning kick in the penalty shoot-out against Egypt after a 1–1 draw on aggregate, in order to qualify his country to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On 4 June 2022, Mané scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Benin in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, to become Senegal’s all-time top scorer with 32 goals, surpassing Henri Camara.
On 11 November 2022, Mané was included in Senegal’s 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, despite an injury he picked up during Bayern Munich’s 6–1 win over Werder Bremen a few days prior.
However, on 17 November, Mané was ruled out of the tournament and withdrew from the squad. Mané made his 100th appearance for Senegal on 18 November 2023, scoring twice in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Sudan.
In December 2023, Mané was named in Senegal’s squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast.
Style of play: Mané usually plays as a winger on the left flank, a position which allows him to cut into the centre and shoot on goal with his stronger, right foot.
During the 2021–22 season, with the signing of Luis Díaz, Mané began playing more as a central striker. Mané has been cited by Kyle Walker as one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced.
My hope and prayers for African players wherever they are, especially those blessed by Allah (SWT) to always think like Sadio Mane so that their people will immensely benefit from their God given talents.
As Mane rightly observed, that there is no need for him to own many expensive cars, Diamond watches, jets and many valuables while his people back home are in abject poverty.
To me, Mane has set the pace…