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11 times Sadio Mane proved he was the nicest man in the world

Nathan Egerton •

Sure, Sadio Mane is a world-class footballer. And sure, we love him for it. But more importantly, we love him because he’s one of the game’s genuine good guys.

It is Mane’s personality as well as his talent that helped him become a favourite with supporters of all the clubs he’s represented, but the difference between Mane and many others is that even rival fans can’t help but like him.

Here are (just) 11 reasons why…

FA Cup final

In the seconds after winning a first-ever FA Cup, most of us would run around, mouths agape, twirling our arms above our heads and looking a bit silly.

When Sadio Mane won his first FA Cup with a penalty-shootout victory over Chelsea in May 2022, his first thought was not with himself but with the deflated opposition ‘keeper Edouard Mendy.

As Liverpool’s players celebrated wildly, Mane ran over to console his international team-mate.

Bambaly

Despite his fame and wealth, Mane clearly hasn’t forgotten his roots.

The 29-year-old is well aware of the poverty-stricken conditions in his home village of Bambaly and paid for a hospital to be built there.

Mane then donated £250,000 to fund a new secondary school and was spotted visiting the construction site to check on its progress.

During the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, he personally paid for 50 Senegalese fans to fly to Cameroon and watch their semi-final victory.

Donations

After suffering a concussion during Senegal’s quarter-final win over Cape Verde in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Mane was taken to a nearby hospital.

While being treated for his own injuries, the winger still displayed his selflessness and made an incredible gesture to a distraught family.

“I think I told you about the generous gesture that Sadio Mane made in Bafoussam in favour of a family,” said a guest on the set of a Cameroonian channel Equinoxet.

“The latter was in distress because a motorcycle had hit their child who had broken bones and injuries all over his body; he was close to death and his parents could not afford to pay for treatment.

“And Sadio, who was in this hospital, finds this grieving family and asks them what is going on. We explain the situation to him and he gave them 400,000 FCFA which relieved this family.”

But this isn’t the first time that he’s helped others in dire need of medical assistance. Amid the outbreak of coronavirus, Mane donated £41,000 to health authorities in Senegal.

Ederson

Mane was given a straight red card against Manchester City in September 2017 after catching Ederson’s face with a high boot.

The forward regretted the incident and issued an apology on social media before trying to get in touch with the goalkeeper.

“We don’t know each other, but I would love to have his number and send him a proper message. I think it is OK now, though,” Mane told ESPN.

“Honestly, after this incident, I was not OK. I was thinking about the red card, obviously, but we are human beings and we have to be nice to each other.

“If I could do better to ignore [avoid] the collision, I would do my best to do so. But he also did the same. I can’t do anything now.”

Ballboy

Mane scored twice and picked up the Man of the Match award as Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final.

But it was his heartwarming gesture off the pitch that had everyone talking after the game.

While sitting on the bench, he called over one of the ballboys before giving him his shirt and a hug, and the young lad was clearly delighted.

Water bottles

Mane displayed his down-to-earth attitude with another selfless act while on international duty with Senegal in November 2019.

After getting off the team bus, the winger was seen helping members of staff carry water bottles into the stadium. Most footballers would just walk past without giving it a second thought – as did some members of the squad – but that’s just not in Mane’s nature.

Team coach

The forward then helped Senegal beat Congo 2-0 and was getting back on the team bus when he spotted a lookalike outside the team bus wearing a Mane Liverpool shirt.

Mane asked security to bring the fan onto the bus, so he could meet the rest of the team and have a brief chat before taking a photo together.

Mosque

After scoring the opener in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Leicester in 2018, Mane would be forgiven for putting his feet up and having a rest.

As a devoted Muslim, he was instead seen helping to clean the toilets at his local mosque in Liverpool just a few hours after the final whistle.

“Sadio requested that no video was sent out. He wanted to remain discreet and wasn’t doing it for publicity,” Abu Usamah Al-Tahabi told the BBC.

“He comes to the mosque often. At his house, he has a Bentley – but he comes to us in a not-so-fancy car, so he is incognito.

“He’s not a person looking for fanfare. There’s no arrogance.”

Ismaila Sarr

After Liverpool faced Watford in December 2019, Mane asked Troy Deeney to look after the 21-year-old, who he plays alongside with Senegal.

“Sadio is talking to me all the time. He advises me to do this, do that. He is a big brother for me,” Sarr told BBC Sport.

“When I arrived, he sent messages saying ‘welcome to the Premier League, welcome to England’ and we also talk when we are in the national team.

“He gives me tips, I try to execute them and to implement them. ‘If you don’t play, be calm, carry on, do your job, it will be OK,’ that is what he says. So I try to do the same.”

However, that one did come back to haunt him a few months later when Sarr scored twice in Watford’s 3-0 win over the Reds at Vicarage Road.

Post-match interviews

Footballers who play for some of the biggest teams in the world have often been lambasted for their arrogance. Just look at Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Mane doesn’t crave the spotlight and often supports his Liverpool team-mates instead of talking about himself during post-match interviews.

“After a match, I try to get him to describe how big a part he’s played, but he is always eager to play down his role and bump up everyone else in the team,” BBC Radio Merseyside’s Mike Hughes said in 2018. “That just shows the character of the man.”

Lee and his grandad

It’s suddenly got quite dusty in here.

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