The Best Football Players From Senegal Going To The 2018 World Cup

Senegal will be making their first appearance at the World Cup since their inaugural outing in 2002, where they famously beat reigning champions France on route to the quarter-finals. 16 years later and the Lions of Teranga have a big chance of emulating that success. Key to the hopes of 15 million Senegalese will be the performances of these five players.

Sadio Mané

Club – Liverpool

Position – Winger / Forward

Caps – 53

Goals – 14

‘Sadio, Sadio, Sadio’ rings out across crowded bars; taxi radios blare out his name amidst the traffic; Liverpool shirts stand pride of place in shop windows. Sadio Mané is a true international superstar and the beating heart of the Senegal team.

Born and raised in the southern Senegal region of Casamance, Mané has grown from a mercurial talent to one of the best players in the world. The 26-year-old started his career with Metz in France, before moving to Red Bull Salzburg where he won the league and cup double in 2014. A year later, he moved to Southampton where he scored the fastest Premier League hat-trick of all time (176 seconds), before joining Liverpool for £34 million (USD$46 million), the most ever spent on an African player at the time.

It has turned out to be money well spent. His wizardry, athleticism and fierce right boot has not only electrified Anfield over the last two years, but helped propel his side to the 2018 Champions League Final, where he scored Liverpool’s only goal with a trademark rocket.

Despite his meteoric rise, Mané has not forgotten his roots, even sending 300 Liverpool shirts to his home village of Bambali before the Champions League Final. If this humble, yet blistering winger can bring his club form to Russia, then don’t bet against Senegal making it to July.

Keita Baldé

Club – Monaco

Position – Attacking midfielder / Forward

Caps – 19

Goals – 3

The Senegal squad is full of established strikers, but the one that could really turn the screw in Russia is Keita Baldé. Known as Keita, he was born in Catalonia and came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. A complicated period featuring loans, disciplinary action and citizenship issues followed, eventually leading him to Lazio in 2011.

He featured in over 100 appearances for the Biancocelesti (White and Sky Blues), making his breakthrough in the 2016-17 season, where he scored the fastest hat-trick in Serie A since 1974, before moving to Monaco for €30 million (USD$35 million).

After all that, it’s hard to believe Keita is still only 23 years old and this World Cup could be the stage where he fulfils his promise. A speedy, attacking dribbler who can play all across the front line, Keita is the perfect foil to Mané and their link up play could see some of Liverpool’s aggressive zip make it to Russia.

Cheikhou Kouyaté

Club – West Ham United

Position – Central Midfield

Caps – 48

Goals – 2

Senegal’s captain and figurehead, Kouyaté is the Lions’ driving force in midfield. Known to Premier League fans for his Viera-like performances, Kouyaté is not one for taking any prisoners. Battle-hardened, strong and excellent with his head, the 6’4 midfielder takes a lot to get knocked off the ball.

Having spent seven years in Belgium, where he won four league titles and three Belgian Cups with Anderlecht, Kouyaté moved to West Ham in 2014 and has shown his ‘never say die’ attitude on a weekly basis ever since. He has called on the Lions to “write their own story” in Russia and his leadership and drive on the field will be key to that narrative.

Kalidou Koulibaly

Club – Napoli

Position – Defender

Caps – 26

Goals – 0

Anyone who reads a football gossip column on a regular basis will be well aware of Koulibaly. Priced at €70 million (USD$82 million) by his club and consistently linked to the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona, the 26-year-old man-mountain has become one of Europe’s most-prized defenders, as well as the pinnacle of the Senegal defence.

Born in France to Senegalese parents, he originally played for France Under 20s before switching allegiances, despite interest from French Head Coach Didier Deschamps. Like Mané, he started his career with Metz before heading 241 km (150 miles) due north to play for Belgian side Genk. Since joining Napoli in 2014, the 6’5 Koulibaly has gone on to make 123 appearances for the club as well as earning himself the nickname K2 (both in reference to his alliterative name and the second largest mountain in the world).

Strong in the air and stylish on the floor, Koulibaly can play anywhere across the back and has the passing ability (passing accuracy of 91% over 2017-8 season) to get himself into a Guardiola team. Senegal will need him at his best if they are to keep out the attacking talents of Colombia and Poland in Group H.

Idrissa Gana Gueye

Club – Everton

Position – Midfield

Caps – 61

Goals – 1

If you wanted to make the Koulibaly-Kouyaté axis even more resilient, then why not throw in one of the most proficient tacklers in the modern game: Idrissa Gueye.

Born in the Senegal capital of Dakar, Gueye also started his career in north-eastern France, but this time with Lille. Having won the Ligue 1 title as a fringe player in 2010-11, he went on to make 134 appearances over four years at the club before moving to Aston Villa in 2015. After their relegation the following year, Everton snapped up his services and Gueye would go on to notch the highest number of tackles and interceptions per game across Europe’s top five leagues over the course of 2016.

Not stopping there, Gueye fended off Chelsea and French maestro N’Golo Kanté in the Premier league tackling stats in the 2016-2017 season and only came second to Nigeria and Leciester’s Wilfried Ndidi in the 2017-18 season.

Given his tackling prowess, it’s no surprise that 28-year-old Gueye is the most-capped player in Senegal’s squad (61). He may not be much of a goal threat, but his combative tackling and efficient hold-up play enable Senegal’s flair players to cause havoc.

Chance at the World Cup

Having qualified with relative ease, finishing five points clear of second-placed Burkina Faso in their qualifying group, this talented Senegal squad were rewarded with a favourable draw in Group H alongside Colombia, Poland and Japan.

On paper, Poland (8th in FIFA rankings) and Colombia (16th) have the advantage over Senegal (27th) and Japan (61st), but as we all know, football games are not won on paper and Group H is anyone’s to win.

With a rock-solid spine, attacking flair and ‘Sadio, Sadio, Sadio’ in their ranks, you wouldn’t put it past the Lions of Teranga emulating the famous 2002 side – Although they will likely have to beat either Belgium or England in the last 16 to get there.

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