Senegal and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane was crowned as the winner of the inaugural Socrates Award for humanitarian work at the 2022 Ballon d’Or on Monday night.
After coming second behind Karim Benzema in the ranking, the second African player to reach the podium since George Weah in 1995 — Sadio Mane won a ‘prestigious’ award in his own right.
The 30-year-old became the first-ever winner of the maiden Socrates Award for the humanitarian and charity works he does in his native country, Senegal.
France Football, the organisers of the ceremony said in a statement that “The Socrates Prize identifies the best social initiative by committed champions”
In 2021, Sadio Mané inaugurated a brand new hospital and has invested a million dollars in the building of infrastructure in his home village of Bambaly in the western part of Senegal.
The former Liverpool star pays a monthly stipend of $70 to each family in the village and has also provided educational funds to pupils in the village high school.
The award is christened after the legendary late Brazilian footballer Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, simply known as Sócrates.