A poor past is the driving force for Sadio Mane to rise up in the football industry, and to return to his native Senegal with a heart of philanthropy.

The newly released documentary Made in Senegal reveals many hidden corners of Mane’s miserable childhood. From a kid who gets a bitter grapefruit to one of the best-winged strikers on the planet is a long journey. The first shock came when Mane was seven years old when his father died of illness. He once told himself that he must do his best to help his mother. It is not an easy responsibility when he is too young.

The Mane family are religious people in Bambali and want their son to become a teacher instead of pursuing a football career. Meanwhile, football is Mane’s dream to change his life. But it was not an easy decision, especially when nobody around him supported him. At one point Mane thought he was wasting his time because success in football was only in his imagination.

At the age of 15, Mane decided to leave home. After querying for information from his best friend, his parents called to take Mane home. But he was still determined and was finally allowed to try football at the end of the school year.

When the time came, Mane was one of the most out of 300 young players who tried their luck. He wore a pair of pants that looked unrelated to football pants and wore a pair of torn shoes. However, during the mock match at Generation Foot Academy, Dakar, Mane shone and scored four goals. Thanks to the guidance of the founder of the academy Mady Toure, Mane has improved. In 2011, he was recruited by the French Metz Club and started his European adventure.

After a shining summer at the 2012 Olympic Games and helping recruit Senegal’s children to the quarterfinals, Mane went to Austria to play for Red Bull Salzburg. His advancements are increasingly solid when he joined Southampton in 2014 and Liverpool from 2016. Currently, Mane is one of the best players in the Premier League in particular and the world in general.