Sadio Mané finished second in the 2022 Ballon d'Or, only ranking behind unstoppable Karim Benzema. On Monday night, the 30 -year-old became the second African player to reach the podium of the prestigious trophy since George Weah's triumph in 1995.
Senegalese Mané wins Socrates Award, finishes 2nd in Ballon d'Or
Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane speaks after winning the Socrates Award during the 66th Ballon d'Or ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
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The Teranga lion left the French Théâtre du Châtelet venue (Paris) with the maiden Socrates Award.
He is the first recipient of the prize which commemorates football players' achievements off the pitch.
Last year, Sadio Mané inaugurated a brand new hospital in his home village of Bambaly in Casamance, western Senegal.
In a few months span, he invested nearly a million dollars in the building of infrastructure, including a school.
The Bayern Munich winger offers each family in the village a monthly support package of almost $70 and has also awarded nearly $400 bonus to the top pupils in the village high school.
The humanitarian prize was named after the late Brazil midfielder Socrates. He died in 2011 aged 57. He was chosen by France Football -one of the Ballon d'Or's organnizers- because of the involvement of this Brazilian international midfielder in the famous "Corinthian Democracy".
In the midst of the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1980s, the Corinthians team made the daring choice to submit all the decisions of the club to a vote.