‘An ambassador for African football’ – Mane is Senegal’s Afcon hero

Once more, Sadio Mane was Senegal’s hero, but not for the reasons you might have thought.

The Teranga Lions defeated host nation Morocco in a final rife with controversy on Sunday, earning the forward’s second Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title.

After Morocco were awarded a penalty in the 98th minute when defender El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Brahim Diaz, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw attempted to usurp him from the field in stoppage time.

Mane was pictured entering the changing areas and then helping to bring the Senegalese players back onto the field with the assistance of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy as they were back in the changing rooms.

Diaz’s Panenka penalty was easily caught by Mendy in a nightmare for one of the tournament’s stars about 16 minutes after the spot-kick was awarded.

The game ended at 0-0 with extra time. A dramatic title was secured by Pape Gueye’s rocket-winning effort.

Mane, who has stated that this will be his final competition, emerges as a leader after receiving the captain’s armband from his team-mates prior to the trophy being taken home.

The world was watching football, he said, and because the world enjoys football, we must create a positive image for it.

What, the referee gave a penalty, and we leave the game, would make me think it’s crazy to not play this game? That would be the worst, in my opinion, especially in African football. I’d rather see our football lose than something like that.

“I believe it to be really bad. What can we do if football is not allowed to stop for even ten minutes? The good news is that we returned, played the game, and what transpired, we must accept that.

Former Nigerian international Daniel Amokachi remarked to BBC World Service, “Mane went the extra mile to win his team back, and it has paid off.

What a football ambassador he is. He is a person we are familiar with off the field, and we are aware of what football is all about.

Before Mane intervened, former Morocco international Hassan Kachloul said, “Africa football and the world football were losing.”

Sadio Mane, the only player from the Senegalese team, is what I like most, he told E4.

For Mane, Bambali was the beginning.

He first started playing football in South-West Senegal when, aged 13, he watched Liverpool’s famous comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final on its red earth-lined streets and sandy pitches.

He has since won the prestigious trophy and the Premier League with the Reds, as well as two Afcon titles with the Teranga Lions.

In the 2021 edition’s final, Mane scored the winning penalty and described it as “the best day of my life and the best trophy of my life.”

Following that victory, Sedhiou, a stadium in the city of Sedhiou was named in honor of him in recognition of his accomplishments.

Mane, 33 years old and a two-time champion, has had the best of his Afcon career thus far.

Gueye claims that the team’s goal is to persuade Mane, who he described as “a legend of Senegal,” to reconsider and allow him to attend his final Afcon in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda until at least the 2027 edition.

The 26-year-old Villarreal man told BBC Afrique, “We’re going to try to keep him with us a little longer because he still has some great years to give.”

Mane may have a glitzy trophy cabinet, but he has never forgotten his roots. He is currently working for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

He made a million dollars in Bambali through his charitable acts, including giving money to build mosques, hospitals, and funds to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory in the 2018 Champions League final, he also sent 300 Liverpool shirts to his hometown.

On a recent visit to the village, Folio Boucar Dahaba, the president of a regional league, told BBC Sport Africa, “Sadio comes here, he behaves very humbly, on a level with the people in Bambali.”

He doesn’t want to appear distinctive. He receives all this love back from the village.

He is “working for everyone” and a “good Muslim,” according to his family.

When he assisted in the cleaning of the bathrooms at a mosque in Toxteth following a Liverpool victory, that was immediately apparent during his time in the top flight.

The imam at Al Rahma Mosque, Abu Usamah Al-Tahabi, said, “He wanted to stay quiet and wasn’t doing it for publicity.”

He doesn’t seek fanfare, he says. There is no haughtiness.

In the run-up to the final, Senegal’s Moussa Niakhate praised Mane as “an incredible man.”

Mane has over 120 caps and has scored 53 goals for his nation.

He intends to play at the World Cup later this year, where more wonderful memories could be made, because he has so frequently been the hero on the pitch in recent years.

In the first half of the 2021 Afcon final, he saved an early penalty kick, but he stepped up once more to decide the match with Egypt in Yaounde.

He also handled the 2022 Fifa World Cup play-off against the Pharaohs in the same manner, though he ultimately missed out on the tournament in Qatar due to injury.

Although he hasn’t been particularly creative at the Afcon finals this year, his 78th-minute strike against Egypt, who were once more gifted with Mane’s magic, was enough to place the Teranga Lions in the final.

Idrissa Gana Gueye, who made a decisive move to Tangier on Wednesday, told the BBC World Service, “That’s what we expect from him.”

Mane may not be Senegal’s captain and may speak with a modest demeanor, but his teammates will take note.

He motivated everyone in his pre-game speech before playing Egypt, according to Papagei.

He spoke the right way to ensure that we had full concentration before the match.

He also has the knowledge of “big matches,” according to the author. He instructs us to remain calm, even after we score or if we concede a goal, which you can see clearly in his gestures.

Mane won the majority of his international caps under Aliou Cisse, who led the West Africans from 2015 to 2024, but it is understandable that Pape Thiaw wants his talisman to continue playing for the nation.

“I think he made his decision in the heat of the moment, and I as the national team’s coach do not at all agree,” Thiaw said.