Senegal and Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane, is not a stranger to winning football titles. But shockingly, the newest CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champion says cuddling the continental diadem is the important silverware of his glittering football career.
Following Senegal’s AFCON success story in Cameroon, the 29 years old forward said; “I won the Champions League and some other trophies. But this is the special one for me. This is the most important.”
Indeed, Sunday’s triumph over the Pharaohs of Egypt inside the Paul Biya (Olembe) Stadium in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital, proved an icing on the cake for the pacy forward, who though enjoyed successes in club football with Liverpool, has not savoured the same fortune when donning the Terranga Lions’ shirt.
League titles and Champions League wins are what every footballer looks forward to in club football. Having tasted all of that and now the once upon a time elusive AFCON title, Mane has come to the verdict that an AFCON title for him is more important.
Many are still talking about the striker’s bold decision to step up for the crucial kick having missed an earlier one in the seventh minute of the game with both sides unable to find each others’ net for all of the 120 minutes playing time.
The Teranga Lions’ victory maintained the record of teams that have gone on winning the title for the first time at the third time of asking. Led by Aliou Cisse as captain, Senegal reached the final for the first time in 2002 and lost to Cameroon.
Their second attempt came in 2019 led by Cisse but as a coach. Although they dominated the game, they somehow could not respond to reply to a 2nd-minute strike by Baghdad Bounedjah. Also for the record, Senegal became the 15th team to hoist the trophy.
Despite scoring just three goals, Mane was crowned the player of the tournament. Interestingly, Mane and his compatriots have the same Egypt, with Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, standing in their path as they attempt to qualify for their third World Cup holding in Qatar. – With agency reports
