Mango trees as far as the eye can see. That’s how Sadio Mané is creating opportunities for hundreds of workers in Bambali, his hometown in central Senegal. The former Bayern and Liverpool star is no stranger to projects like this, but this time he has gone big: €18 million to build an agro-industrial park dedicated to processing the tropical fruit. It will be called SM10 Agro, after the forward’s initials and shirt number, and is due to open in March 2027, with the project expected to generate as many as 2,500 new jobs and give the local economy a substantial boost.
“I don’t want to be remembered only for the goals I scored” — more than 300 of them, after all — the 34-year-old wrote on social media. “Before the stadiums, the lights, the victories, there was Bambali for me: this is where my dreams were born. Being able to help the families and young people of my village today is a source of immense pride. Laying this first stone, right where it all began, is an emotion that is difficult to put into words: Bambali is my roots. And this project is my way of helping to write the next chapter of our story together.”
Mané, who has earned around €40 million net per year during his last three seasons at Al-Nassr, chose to finish his career in Saudi Arabia partly to secure the financial means to keep investing in development projects back home. Since becoming a Liverpool icon under Klopp, Sadio has personally funded the construction of basic infrastructure in a part of Senegal that remains severely underdeveloped. Thanks to his investment, Bambali now has a hospital and a secondary school — almost €1 million has gone into those two facilities alone — along with a petrol station, a mosque, a post office and a bakery. Mané also makes sure every family in the village receives a monthly allowance of €70, a significant sum by local standards, while the area’s most promising students receive additional financial support. The village is better connected, too, after the installation of a free 4G network.
The agro-industrial park is the latest and most ambitious part of a steadily expanding development project, designed to make the town more liveable and better equipped to meet the needs of its 20,000 residents. The site will cover 500 hectares, with more than 78,000 mango trees and at least 1,000 workers employed directly on the plantations. Every stage of the process will be handled there, from harvesting and processing to storage and the export of mangoes and mango-based products. A dedicated agricultural training centre is also planned to prepare the workforce. Mané, once again, is putting his name behind it.