Alex Rogers takes a peek at why everyone loves Mamadou Sakho.
Mamadou Sakho has surely had a rough time of late. Missing the Euros and being investigated for the use of illegal substances which, very thankfully, was dropped, can put huge amounts of stress on a man.
But this article isn’t about any of those things, no, it’s an article on why everyone loves our self proclaimed Scouser.
Firstly, it’s hard to dispute that Sakho is a wonderful man, not just on the pitch but off it too. Mama visits local hospitals in Liverpool regularly to make dreams come true for the less fortunate and put a smile on the faces of children that idolise him.
If I was a sick child in hospital and Sakho walked in to see of I was OK, well, I’d think that he was an angel sent from above. It’s beautiful what he does to give back to the community.
One reason why Sakho is such a fan favourite, is that he truly loves Liverpool. The team and the city. The respect he shows the badge is undeniable. Every time he plays for us, I see a man who gives it his all every single time.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
Let me remind you of when we played Crystal Palace last November. Sakho went down seemingly seriously hurt, yet he told Lovren to stay on the bench and put his body on the line as he continued to play on through his pain. If this isn’t a reason to love Mamadou I don’t know what is.
At the beginning of last year, Sakho helped out with the charity “an hour for others” helping to paint houses that would go towards the homeless. The only reason for this act of kindness was that he shares the same values that An Hour for Others does, stating “I came to to support An Hour for Others because we share the same values, and they are doing a great job.”
While many footballers spent their holidays in places like Ibiza, celebrating a good season or trying to forget the season that’s just past, I doubt many spent their holidays in Senegal helping distribute food to the less fortunate.
He was there with his personal charity ‘Amsak’, to help the poor by giving out free food such as rice, sugar and milk to the people of the country where his parents were born.
While he was there, he met the President of Senegal to discuss plans to build a sports centre in Tambacounda. A historic day that will go down in time as the day the President of Senegal and the President of the Liverpool country met for the first time.
On a serious note though, what a man, what a truly beautiful human being. And how fortunate are we to have him at our club, he’s a real inspiration to people everywhere. While young people look up to celebrities for whatever reason, I think it’s a real injustice that more people don’t aspire to be like Mamadou Sakho. Mama is a real hero helping real people and that’s why people love him. That’s why the Liverpool country cherishes him.