In recognition of his social commitment, Sadio Mané was named the inaugural winner of the Socrates Award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris last night. Awarded to footballers who campaign for integration, climate protection, disadvantaged people or those threatened by conflict, the 30-year-old Senegalese forward received his award in the French capital.
“I’m just pleased to be here,” said Mané. “I don’t like talking about what I do, but I do what I can for my people and try to improve things in my country.”
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) won the 2022 Ballon d’Or, 14 years after Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman scored no less than 44 goals across the 2021/22 campaign. Mané came second, followed by Kevin de Bruyne.
As for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best U21 player, six out of the top 10 play in the Bundesliga:
Jamal Musiala (3, Bayern Munich), Jude Bellingham (4, Borussia Dortmund), Josko Gvardiol (6, RB Leipzig), Ryan Gravenberch (6, Bayern Munich), Karim Adeyemi (9, Borussia Dortmund) and Florian Wirtz (10, Bayer Leverkusen).
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