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Sadio Mane manages to perfectly combine being one of the best footballers in the world but also be one of the most humble.
The 30-year-old, who has just completed a £35 million move to Bayern Munich, has developed into a killer in front of goal and a man who steps up to the mark on the biggest occasions.
But he has never, ever forgotten where he has come from. Mane had nothing as a kid and aged 16, with his parents not allowing him to leave school, packed his stuff and ran away.
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He was laughed at his football trials when he turned up in tattered boots and shorts.
He hails from Bambali in Senegal and has completely transformed his home village with an incredible amount of gestures.
In April 2018, Mane donated £200,000 to help finance a new secondary school and when The Telegraph spoke to him about it, he requested it be left out of the interview, saying, "I do not do this for publicity."
He's also built a £455,000 hospital, financed a mosque and sports stadium and even donated money to the 2,000 residents he live there.
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Mane is also said to have handed out laptops and sportswear, provided 4G internet and is also behind the building of a new fuel station and a new post office. Talk about going above and beyond.
The former Liverpool forward recently took part in a charity match back home alongside Papiss Cisse and El Hadji Diouf, while he also sent a fan into a frenzy when he met him and called his phone later on that day after scoring a hat-trick against Benin.
In a similar story in 2020, Mane was reunited with a childhood friend he had not seen for 17 years and reportedly invited the man, who is now a police officer, to watch him play at Anfield.
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He may earn around £250,000-a-week as part of three-year contract signed at Bayern but Mane is not too big and rich to help out.
Two years ago, footage showed him happily helping kit staff out by picking up two crates of water while on international duty.
In September 2018, he was spotted cleaning the toilets of a local mosque where he had attended a service.
And fast forward a couple of years, the Africa Cup of Nations winner was again proving what a wonderful person is when he dedicated his goal to a Liverpool fan's grandfather in the 7-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace.
Mane is a special player but he might just be an even better human being.
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To finish, here is a quote from the man himself to sum up the way he thinks and his love for helping people.
"Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, or two planes? What will these objects do for me and for the world?" he is quoted as saying in an interview with Ghanaian outlet nsemwoha.com
"I was hungry, and I had to work in the field; I survived hard times, played football barefooted, I did not have an education and many other things, but today with what I earn thanks to football, I can help my people."
Featured Image Credit: Image: TwitterTopics: Sadio Mane, Senegal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Southampton
