"When it was my turn to audition there was an older man who looked at me as if I was in the wrong place. He asked me: "are you here for the audition?" and I said yes
"With those shoes? Look at them, how can you think of playing with them?", he told me.
In fact they were really shabby, old and broken.
Then he added, "And those shorts? Don't you have any soccer shorts?"
I told him that I was there with the best equipment I had and that I just wanted to play and demonstrate my qualities.
And when I went onto the field you should have seen the surprise in his face. He came to me and said: "I'll sign you right away, you'll play on my team."
I went hungry, survived hard times, played barefoot and didn't go to school.
I don't know what fun is, I've never gone to a party because I know that if I don't give everything, I'll never perform well on the pitch and I'll never achieve my goals.
Today, with what I earn, I can help others.
I built schools, a stadium, we gave clothes, shoes and food to people in extreme poverty. And then I donate 70 euros a month to all the inhabitants of a very poor area of Senegal, to contribute to the family economy.
Why would I want ten Ferraris, twenty diamond watches and two airplanes? What good are these things for the good of the world?
I can't even stand the Playstation, my classmates' main hobby. I've never used it, I think it's just a way to waste time and I don't want to waste mine unnecessarily."
Sadio Mané
Post a Comment
0Comments