Sadio Mané

Early career

In 2009, when playing in M'Bour, he was spotted by scouts and later referred to Génération Foot, a club that he helped attain promotion to the second division in the 2010–11 season.

Metz

In 2011, Mané joined Metz which had a partnership with Génération Foot. He made his professional debut on 14 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for Kévin Diaz in the 75th minute of a 0–1 home defeat against Bastia in Ligue 2. He made 19 appearances in his first league season, 12 as a starter, and scored a solitary goal in a 2–5 loss to Guingamp at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on 4 May. Metz was relegated to the Championnat National at the end of the season.

Red Bull Salzburg

Metz set an asking price of €2 million for Mané, and he attracted attention, including from Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg sporting director Ralf Rangnick. Having received several offers throughout the summer, Metz upped their asking price to €4 million, and he moved to Salzburg on 31 August 2012, the third-biggest transfer fee that Metz had ever received. He scored his first hat-trick for the club on 31 October, in a 3–1 away win at SC Kalsdorf in the third round of the Austrian Cup. On 27 October 2013, he netted his first hat-trick in the Austrian Bundesliga, during a 3–0 win away to Grödig. He scored another treble on 7 May 2014 as Salzburg won 7–0 at Horn in the cup semi-finals; the season ended with the team winning a domestic double. At the end of August 2014…

2012–2017

Mané was part of the Senegal team at the 2012 Olympic tournament, and started every match as they advanced through Group A as runners-up to Great Britain before losing 4–2 after extra time in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Mexico. Mané was ruled out of the Senegalese squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a calf injury in Southampton's 2–0 win against Arsenal on 1 January 2015. He later returned to the squad, and started in their final two group matches against South Africa and Algeria in a group stage exit.

2017–2019

Mané represented Senegal at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and scored a goal in each of the nation's opening two games, 2–0 wins against Tunisia and Zimbabwe. After a goalless draw in the quarter-final clash against Cameroon, he missed the penalty in the shoot-out that saw Senegal eliminated from the tournament. In May 2018, Mané was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against Japan in the group stage. Mané started all three of Senegal's group matches as they were eliminated after the first stage, finishing below Japan on fair play points.

Mané was once again called up to Senegal's final squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored two goals and missed a penalty in a 3–0 win against Kenya, as Senegal finished second in the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage. Mané scored the only goal of the match and…

Mané was born to Guinean parents in Bambali, Sédhiou, Senegal. He grew up in a religious household. He wished for a career in football, but his father (who was an imam) forbade him from playing the sport as a child. His father wanted him to prioritize his religious studies, however, his father died when he was seven years old. At the age of 15, he ran away from his home village with the help of a childhood friend, Luc Djiboune, and went to Dakar to pursue his ambition of becoming a footballer; from that time he was supported by his family to fulfill his potential.

In 2019, Mané donated £250,000 ($319,103; €284,813) to build a school in his home town of Bambali, Senegal. In March 2020, Mané donated £41,000 ($52,564; €46,083) to the national committee fighting COVID-19 in Senegal. In 2021, he donated £500,000 ($684,932; €561,987) towards the construction of a hospital in Bambali. In addition, he has also financed the building of a petrol station and a post office for his local community, supplying the school with free laptops and internet from the 4G internet service he financed in the village. In total, he has spent more than £700,000 ($958,904; €786,782) on these upgrades. In addition, he commissioned a €70-a-month stipend to each family in his 2,000-person hometown. This is roughly equivalent to a month's wage for a Senegalese citizen on a minimum wage. Mané is also an ambassador for Right To Play, an international non-profit organization with a mission to empower vulnerable children. He has collaborated with the non-profit to provide equality and empowerment to young girls and women in Senegal, raising "awareness of the importance for both girls and boys to be able to access sport and education opportunities".