Ballon d’Or: Sadio Mane Wins Socrates Award After Philanthropic Works in Senegal

• Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane has received France Football's inaugural Socrates Award, in honour of his philanthropic work in his native Senegal
• Mane has built a public hospital and funded schools and families in his home village of Bambali in recent years
• The former Liverpool forward also donated to the Senegalese National Committee to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic

Senegal and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mané clinched the Socrates Award, the very first winner of the award at the 2022 edition of the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The Socrates Prize, a novel award in the history of the awards, identifies the best social initiative by a committed champion.

Mané has carved a niche for himself as a champion both on and off the field. The Senegal international has been described by many as a man with a 'golden heart' owing to his humanitarian works.

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The 30-year-old’s humanitarian work in Senegal over the years has seen many lasting impacts in the country, particularly in his native village of Bambali, where he provides monthly stipends of €70 to every family in the village, as noted by Borgen Magazine.

What is the Socrates award?

"The Socrates Prize will identify the best social initiative by committed champions," said a statement from France Football magazine via Bein Sports.

Why was the award named after Socrates?

France Football, organizers of the Ballon d'Or, said they chose Socrates, who died in 2011 aged 57, because of his commitment to a campaign he helped organise at his club, Corinthians in Sao Paulo, while Brazil was under a military dictatorship called "Corinthian Democracy".

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Sadio Mane proved his class off the pitch during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after he paid the entire hospital bill for a young boy with life-threatening injuries.

The Liverpool winger is said to have been involved in the kind gesture when he suffered a concussion after a collision with Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

While he was able to continue playing and even scored a goal, Mane was subbed off soon after and taken to the hospital as a precaution.