Sadio Mané
Soccer
"I’m proud and happy to join Right To Play as an ambassador, and to use my passion for sport and education to inspire girls and boys in Senegal and around the world to believe in themselves and develop the life skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.”
Sadio Mané is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striking winger for Premier League club Liverpool FC, and as the team captain for the Senegal national team, Les Lions de la Téranga.
Mané’s accomplishments are significant both on and off the field. He started his career at the famous Senegalese football academy Generation Foot. His good performance there drew an invitation and a professional contract from French Club FC Metz. After a difficult first year in Europe, Mané’s full potential started to develop with Red Bull Salzburg, where he won a league and cup domestic double in the 2013-14 season. After scoring 45 goals in two years, he earned a transfer to Southampton, further paving the way to the Premier League.
In 2016, Mané joined Liverpool FC and helped the club reach back-to-back UEFA Champions League Finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter. He also finished as the league's joint top goal scorer in the 2018-19 season, winning the Premier League Golden Boot. That same year, he was named African Footballer of the Year. Mané then helped end Liverpool's 30-year league title drought by winning the 2019-20 Premier League.
Mané currently ranks as Senegal’s fifth all-time top goal-scorer, and is eighth all-time for appearances. He represented Senegal at the 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2015 and 2017 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. In 2019, Mané, as the team’s captain, helped Senegal to a runners-up finish there. Mané also led and represented his nation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in their second ever appearance in the competition.
Off the field, Mané is known for his generous support for his community and home region of Casamance. Mané grew up in a family that highly valued education, and its importance has stayed with him his entire life. In recent years, he funded a school in his family’s hometown to give children better access to education, and a chance at a brighter future.
In his role as Right To Play Global Ambassador, Mané will build on his track record of empowering children through sport and education to inspire even more girls and boys in Senegal and around the world to rise above adversity and achieve their dreams.