Senegalese Star Sadio Mane: Fulfilled the Succeeding African Footballer to Win in the Top Three of the Ballon d’Or Awards

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone - The Bayern Bayern Munich forward, completed second in the 2022 Ballon d’Or awards behind winner Karim Benzema, while Kevin De Bruyne attained third.

Mane’s achievement sees him enter the history books as only the second player after George Oppong Weah to make the top three of France Football’s flagship medal.

Weah, who headlined for Liberia and AC Milan, was capped as a Ballon d’Or winner in 1995 and continues the only African to have won the prestigious individual award since its commencement.

In the last 27 years, though no player from the African landmass had come any closet that shifted during Monday’s colorful ceremony. Mane’s second-place glaze was given rise to feasible by his willful form for Liverpool last season, where his goals assisted the Reds to win the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as round the final of the UEFA Champions League.

The 30-year-old also played an instrumental position as Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time in January.

Irrespective of not attaining the Ballon d’Or, Mane came to be the first-ever recipient of the Socrates Award in tribute of his philanthropy and other social activities he has begun in his home country of Senegal.

In 2020, Mane allotted 30 million FCFA (almost 45,000 euros) to help fight the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Senegal. In 2021, he similarly ceded a hospital he built in his hometown of Bambaly to the Senegalese administration.

“Like you said, sometimes I’m a bit shy when it comes to talking about it, but I’m really happy to do what I can for our people and to make things better,“ Mane said after receiving the Socrates Award.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent