Just before Liverpool’s Premier League game against Leicester City on December 27, 2019, a picture of Sadio Mane’s damaged iPhone 11 emerged. Although Mane played a key role in Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over the title challengers, it was the state of his phone that garnered the most attention. The upper portion of the iPhone’s screen appeared to be shattered.
Sadio Mane is one of Liverpool’s star players and has played a significant role in Jurgen Klopp’s team, which is currently at the top of the Premier League and poised to end a 30-year title drought. Mane, who earns over $10.2 million annually, is recognized as one of the world’s top footballers.
Recently, however, he shared a photo that left many of his fans disheartened; it showed him with a cracked iPhone 11.
Many followers were puzzled as to why he hadn’t replaced it, with some joking that he could at least afford a new screen protector. The reason behind Mane’s choice to keep the damaged phone has since come to light, going viral and highlighting the Senegalese forward’s humility and modesty.
In an October 2019 interview with TeleDakar, Mane emphasized that his primary goal after achieving success in football was to help others.
He questioned the need for extravagance, asking, “Why would I want two private jets, ten Ferraris, and twenty diamond watches? How would that impact the world?” He reflected on his humble beginnings, noting that he didn’t go to school, worked in the fields, played barefoot, and experienced hunger. Now, he aims to assist others by building schools and providing food and clothing to those in need. Mane has constructed stadiums for schools and supplied essentials like food, clothing, and shoes to individuals living in extreme poverty.
Furthermore, he contributes 70 euros a month to support the families in a particularly impoverished area of Senegal. “I don’t need to flaunt fancy cars, mansions, vacations, or airplanes,” he stated, adding, “I would rather my people receive a small share of what life has given me.”
Mane also shared in the same interview that his good friend, Dutch football star Gini Wijnaldum, gifted him the iPhone 11. Despite being able to easily buy a new one, Mane chose to maintain the phone as a symbol of their friendship.