Mane aims to inspire Senegal to second title on AFCON farewell

Sadio Mane will cement his status as one of the all-time great African players if he can lead Senegal to victory against hosts Morocco in Sunday's Cup of Nations final -- a game he has said will be his farewell to the tournament.

Former Liverpool star Mane turns 34 in April and has played over 120 times for his country going back to a debut against Morocco shortly after his 20th birthday in 2012.

The high point of his international career came in February 2022, when he starred as the Lions of Teranga beat Egypt on penalties in the Cup of Nations final in Yaounde.

Having missed a penalty during normal time that night, he stepped up to score the decisive kick in the shoot-out and Senegal -– World Cup quarter-finalists in 2002 -- were African champions for the first time.

A huge weight was lifted off the shoulders of the boy from a small town on the banks of the Casamance River in southern Senegal.

"Before I won the Africa Cup, sometimes I played badly because of the pressure," Mane admitted in a recent interview for the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast as he opened up on the significance of that victory.

"People in Europe love their national team but some people love their club more -- Senegal is the opposite.

"That is why there is this big pressure, so I just had to win this. It was really important."

There have also been plenty of lows for the two-time African footballer of the year, including the defeat in the final against Algeria in Cairo in 2019 and missing the 2022 World Cup with injury.

But he is hoping to make 2026 a memorable year by claiming a second AFCON winner's medal before turning his attentions to the World Cup in the United States where Senegal will be in the same group as France and Norway.

After scoring the winning goal in Wednesday's semi-final win over Mohamed Salah's Egypt, Mane announced that the final against Morocco in Rabat would be his last game at a Cup of Nations.

"I hope to win and bring the trophy back to Dakar," said the forward who has spent the last two and a half years in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, where he counts Cristiano Ronaldo among his teammates.

There is a feeling that the approaching World Cup might be the swansong for a generation of Senegal players which also includes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, skipper Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Mane spent a large chunk of his international career playing under Aliou Cisse before Pape Thiaw took over as coach in late 2024.

"Let's hope we have many more years with him, because you don't find a player like him every day, and we need to make the most of him," Thiaw said of Mane after the Egypt win.

"I hope this won't be his last final; there are other competitions coming up, so we'll see."

Mane has scored just twice in Morocco over the last month, his other goal coming in a group-stage draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo -- he now has 11 Cup of Nations goals in total, placing him among an elite band of players to have reached double figures.

With Everton's Iliman Ndiaye growing in importance and Paris Saint-Germain teenager Ibrahim Mbaye emerging at this tournament, Mane must feel Senegal's attack is in good hands going forward.

His announcement suggests that he is ready to turn his back on the next AFCON, which is set to take place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda next year.

If he can help deliver a second title in three editions for Senegal, confirming their status as a modern African footballing superpower, he will surely feel as though his work is done.