Sadio Mané Quote on Luxury and How He Choses To Give Back From What He’s Been Given

“Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and two jet planes? What would that do for the world? I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools [and] a stadium; we provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.”

Sadio Mané

Beyond the Quote (273/365)

What an incredibly refreshing perspective coming from one of the worlds premier soccer players whose net worth is upwards of $15 million. Mané is someone who made it out from intense poverty-stricken conditions and could easily choose to live a life of luxury and riches that I’m sure he dreamed of when he was starving, working the fields, or playing barefoot as a young boy. But, he hasn’t forgotten his roots and he chooses instead to live his life giving back “a little of what life has given him.” But, “a little” doesn’t feel, to me, to be the right choice of words.

Let’s take a closer look. Amid the outbreak of coronavirus, Mané donated £41,000 to health authorities in Senegal. In his home village of Bambali, Mané donated £250,000 to fund a new school. To go with the school, Mané has also committed to building a hospital (funded solely by him) that’s scheduled to be opened in 2021—all so that the people in his village might find hope in a place where hope doesn’t come easily.

When Mané was just seven years old he lost his father to sickness and there was nothing his family could do to help him. Similarly, Mané remembered how his sister had to riskily be born at home because there was no hospital for them to go to. This incredible act of philanthropy of building an entire hospital will undoubtedly stop the same story from being rewritten in the lives of so many people growing up in the same village he did. Not to mention the difference having a new school built will make in the lives of the next generation of kids. But, Mané’s character extends beyond just monetary donations.

Mané is committed to a more humble way of living and exemplifies it regularly. From what I discovered while researching him online, he treats all people with dignity and respect—from other professional footballers to ballboys; from coaches to toilet cleaners; from family in his hometown to staff responsible for carrying water bottles. The proof is in the pudding.

When given a red card for high kicking another player in the face he went above and beyond to extend his apologies for the accident. He 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.” It’s a refreshing take on an accident that happens regularly in the game. Not many other footballers would have taken that extra step to apologize to right the wrong.

On the other end of the spectrum, you can see how he treats people who might be considered “below him.” After a huge game against Chelsea in 2019, Mané was spotted giving the ballboy a jersey and a hug out of the goodness of his heart. Or there’s the time when he was getting off the team bus for an important match and he was seen helping members of the staff carry water bottles into the stadium. Most footballers would just walk past the staff (that were being paid to do that) without giving it a second thought (as did some members of the squad)—but not Mané. Or how about this one: after scoring the opener in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Leicester in 2018, he finished the day by helping to clean the toilets at his local mosque in Liverpool just a few hours after the match.

It’s in how we treat those who can’t do anything for us that indicates what kind of person we really are. And Mané is a real one. From how he generously gives back to those who have “less” because life has given him “more,” to how he goes the extra mile to show care and concern for fellow human beings, to how he treats those who serve “under” him—he is a living, breathing example of a beautiful soul. Someone who has the resolve to push themselves to become the best they possibly can be, while simultaneously maintaining a solid sense of humility, unity, and gratitude along the way.

How did I hear about Mané? A viral post that found its way to my timeline that showed Mané carrying a cracked iPhone (depicted above) to a soccer match with reference to the quote listed above. He could easily buy 1,000 new iPhones if he wanted to, but he chooses not to. Make of it what you will. I implore you to model your life following similar themes regardless of how “successful” you consider yourself to be. Strive to become the best you possibly can be, help others out in any way you can along the way, remember that nobody deserves to be treated with anything less than the upmost dignity and respect, and do what you can to help raise the vibration of this world. More Manés could really do us all some good.

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