AFCON 2025 - Stars: Last ride for Sadio Mane?

Since 2015, the number 10 embodies the red thread of the golden generation of Senegal.
Five African Cups played, 22 games for 2056 minutes, 9 goals including 3 penalties, 4 assists. Mané wrote a major chapter of the Lions' ascent. The African scene bears the mark of its tears and its smiles: the final lost against Algeria in 2019 then that won in 2021, synonymous with the first Senegalese title in the history of the competition. This generation had talents, but above all it had a symbol. This symbol was called Mané.

The weight of experience

 
With 117 caps and 51 goals, the best scorer in Lions history and second most capped player behind Idrissa Gana Guèye, Mané remains a reference. Yet, the debates around his role have never been so intense. The emergence of Iliman Ndiaye, the maturity of Ismaila Sarr, the arrival of profiles like Assane Diao or Ibrahim Mbaye have transformed the Senegalese offensive landscape. 

Part of the opinion dreams of renewal, another questions the principle of transmission, what it means to turn the page for the national team. But football is not just about the emotional pulsations of networks or fast media cycles. Mané’s experience remains an invaluable asset in a competition where details write the destinies.

A return in shape at the best moment

Before joining the team for AFCON 2025, the Senegalese found the net again with Al-Nassr, scoring in the victory against Istiklol Dushanbe. This goal is added to a convincing end of the season at the club, echoing his hat-trick during the wide victory of the Lions against Kenya (8-0) in friendly last November. At a time when Senegal is seeking a stable offensive identity, this dynamic is anything but anecdotal.

The last dance ?

The champions of Africa 2021 approach Morocco with the hope of conquering once again a trophy that has transfigured their history. Sadio Mané has nothing more to prove, but he still has something to offer: a look, a voice, a gesture, a goal, sometimes silence before a placed keystroke. At 33 years old, if this AFCON were to be his last, he would like to leave in the same way that he entered history by leaving a mark, moving the lines, carrying a team towards the moment that a country dreams.