'Tough' upbringing & why mum 'hates football'
The 2019 African Footballer of the Year was born in a small village in Senegal and he says his upbringing was "difficult" but he "never stopped dreaming" of becoming a professional athlete. "If you see where I came from in a very small village far from the capital in Dakar, it was really tough, but it's part of life and you have to dream and keep going every single day," he said. "You have to have self-belief, never give up and work hard. I think that's the key, and putting it in your head that you will become something." Despite being one of the best players in the world, Mane says his mother and uncle "hate football" and always thought it was a "waste of time". "They never wanted me to play football so I had to go school and do something else, but I am successful so I have proved them wrong," he added.Perceived as a 'god'
Since becoming a professional, Mane has provided money to hospitals in his native Senegal, but he does not wish to take any credit for his charity. "I don't want to speak about this kind of thing, I think those people need it so I do what I can," he said. Following his exploits on Merseyside, he says "everybody in Senegal is a Liverpool fan" and the public are "proud" of his achievements. "Two years ago it wasn't the case - there were more Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid fans but now it's Liverpool everywhere," he said. "When Liverpool play now it's like the national team is playing, so if we win this trophy, it will be massive." Asked whether he is treated like a living god on his return to the country, he said: "Yes, for sure they do try. They are just proud and happy to see me achieving this level."DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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