Senegal international Sadio Mane has won the maiden edition of the Socrates Award at the 2022 Ballon D'or in Paris, France.
The Socrates Award was introduced for this year's edition of the France Football Ballon D'or to celebrate footballers who promote social integration, protection of the environment or aid to groups who are disadvantaged, threatened or victims of conflict.
The Bayern Munich attacker was adjudged for the prestigious accolade following his philanthropist duties since attaining the highest level of his football career.
The Ballon d’Or organisers announced in September that they have added a humanitarian prize to this year’s ceremony named for Socrates the elegant Brazil midfielder, who also held a medical degree.
“The Socrates Prize will identify the best social initiative by committed champions," said a statement from France Football magazine, which awards the Ballon d’Or.
France Football said they chose Socrates, who died in 2011 aged 57, because of his commitment to a campaign he helped organise at his club, Corinthians in Sao Paulo, while Brazil was under a military dictatorship called “Corinthian Democracy".
While they were warned to stop interfering in political affairs, the players escaped unpunished because of their high profile and because they focused on introducing democracy only at their club, insisting there was a vote on decisions on how the club was run.
Former Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Rai, who is Socrates’ younger brother, as well as representatives of France Football and leaders of the Monaco-based Peace and Sport organisation presented the award to Sadio Mane as the first winner of the humanitarian prize.
Mane has been known for his philanthropy after moving to Europe to pursue his career, regularly doing all he can to improve the lives of people back in his native Senegal. A national icon, Mané grew up in Bambali, a Senegalese village 250 miles away from the country’s capital Dakar. When he was 15 he ran away from home to become a professional footballer – but he has never forgotten his roots.
When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, Mane donated £41,000 to the Senegalese National Committee fighting the pandemic. However, his most inspiring work has been done in his home village of Bambali
Mane built a £455,000 public hospital, which includes a maternity care unit. Mane’s father died when he was a child and the lack of health services in his home region has become a big cause in his life.
He also donated £250,000 for a free public secondary school and provided laptops and $400 each to the best-performing students of Bambali High School. To further boost the opportunities of young people in the village, Mane often gives out free sportswear. This included donating 300 Liverpool shirts ahead of the 2018 Champions League final so those in his village could wear them.
Mane has also built a petrol station and is currently helping to construct a post office. He also gives €70 monthly to each family in the village and provides them with 4G internet connection. These measures all aim to help improve the connectivity to other areas and reduce the isolation and inequalities that rural villages in Senegal often suffer from.
Mane, who is Senegal all-time top scorer, aided the West African nation to clinch its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations trophy earlier this year in Cameroon.
