“Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, and two jet planes? I starved, I worked in the fields, played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food and clothing,” Mane explained to confused fans.
Africa’s richest soccer player was spotted several times in 2019 and 2020 using an older model cracked iPhone with a peeling screen protector.
With a salary of over $10 million a year at the time ($14 million now), fans were baffled as to why Senegalese soccer star Sadio Mane wouldn’t just buy a new phone.
His explanation in a recent interview is a breath of fresh air:
“Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, and two jet planes? I starved, I worked in the fields, played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food and clothing.”
In addition to building a school, hospital, gas station, post office, stadium and providing 4G internet for his entire home village of Bambali, he sends every family in the village (population 2000) $70 a month for food and other necessities.
“I am constantly worried about the next meal for the people of my village in Senegal,” Mane said more recently. This is why I have to always be at my best in the pitch to not lose my place. Because I might also lose my contract in the club and my village goes hungry.”