Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has donated almost half a million pounds to help pay for a hospital in his hometown of Bambali.
The remote Senagalse village has never had such a medical facility before. A fact Mane knows all too well, as his father died when he was seven years old after he could not reach a hospital in time to be treated for a stomach complaint.
The 29-year-old footballer has already previously donated £250,000 to build a school in Bambali. Now he has doubled that amount to help construct a hospital, meeting the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, to officially gift the facility to the state.
Sadio Mané met with the President of Senegal, Macky Stall, where they discussed Sadio’s proposals of him wanting to build a new hospital and a new stadium for the national side. [goal] 🙌
Très honoré de l’audience que le Chef de l’État, Son Excellence @Macky_Sall m’a accordée. Un bon moment d’échanges sur le football mais aussi sur nos projets sociaux. #Sénégal for Ever 🦁
The hospital will have an A&E department, maternity care, dental facilities and consulting rooms.
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Mane has previously spoken about the death of his father around the release of a documentary,Made in Senegal, about his life. "He'd had a stomach ache, but because there was no hospital, we tried traditional medicine," said Mane.
"They took him to the village and he died there. There were a lot of rebels at the time, so there was no way to bring him home. They chose to bury him there."
It's this type of tragedy that the hospital Mane has funded and given to the state will hopefully be able to prevent.
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Mane grew up in a small farming village, playing football with rocks or grapefruits when there were no balls to be found. It's a world away from a major city like Senegal's capital, Dakar.
The young Mane's ambition to become a professional footballer was considered an outlandish dream, he admits.
"People found me abnormal," Mane said last year. "When I told my mother: 'I want to be a footballer', she thought I was crazy. To her it was a child dreaming."
Mane had to run away from home at one point to fulfil his dream. However he's gone on to become one of the world's best players, winning African Player of the Year in 2019 and being crucial to Liverpool's Champions League and Premier League victories.
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"I'm struggling to describe how proud and how motivated I get when I am back home," Mane told SPORTbible last year on the incredible reception he receives when he returns. "Because all these people show me love and they are so happy to see me at this level [in football]... It's unbelievable for myself."
It seems, with a school built and a hospital opening this month, Mane is making his hometown proud with much more than just his legacy in football.
All imagery: PA Images/Instagram @sadiomaneofficiel
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Senegal, Sadio Mane