AFCON – El Hadji Diouf: ‘Football is Senegalese, no longer Brazilian’

Former Liverpool FC forward El Hadji Diouf has given insights into the strength of newly-crowned Africa Cup of Nations (AFON) champions Senegal, branding them as world football kings.

The Africa football legend, who helped the Teranga Lions reach the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter final stage, explained what makes the current generation the best team on the continent and beyond.

In an interview with SuperSport Television, El Hadji Diouf highlighted Senegal’s strength of not relying on a particular scorer for goals but rather the collective when attacking and defending.

“This team doesn’t need a scorer,” he said before Sunday’s AFCON final at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. “It just needs to play football. Anyone can score. Together, we play football. We don’t want to play for one person. We play together. We stay together.  We lose together and we win together.”

Source of goals for Senegal

The goals for Pape Thiaw’s side came from different players at the tournament in Morocco. On Sunday, Pape Gueye’s bullet earned the Teranga Lions the 1-0 victory over the hosts. To reach the final, it was Sadio Mane who scored to defeat Egypt 1-0.

The former Liverpool star has since urged the young generation of the Teranga Lions players to emulate the feat of Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idriss Gueye and goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, who have now won AFCON for the second time in their careers.

“My relationship with Sadio is different. It is not only about football. It is family, and I always support him in so many ways. People used to say Sadio Mane is finished and today he has shown them that football is no longer Brazilian. It is Senegalese,” El-Hadji Diouf added.

Senegal stunned hosts Morocco in extra-time of an ill-tempered final that saw the Atlas Lions miss a penalty through Brahim Diaz. Left-back El-Hadji Malick Diouf had pushed down the Real Madrid star in the box with a few minutes to full-time.

Before Diaz took the penalty, which Mendy saved, the Teranga Lions players had walked off the pitch in protest only for Mane to intervene and force them back from the dressing room some 10 minutes later.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.