By Olakunle Agboola – Sadio Mane had promised to win the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) for his home country, which he came close to fulfilling on the 19th of July 2019 when Senegal played in the finals with Algeria at Cairo International Stadium.
Algeria snatched the victory with 1–0 for their second Africa Cup of Nations title. They took home the winning trophy and this did not augur well to some Senegalese in the mob who went to Mane’s house to burn some of his cars. There were so many expectations and high hopes on Sadio Mane and they were disappointed in him for not clinching on the anticipated trophy. This year at AFCON presented Mane with another opportunity to rewrite history, subdue doubts, and make his country proud.
Senegal did all to make it to the finals at this year AFCON while they faced Egypt who has won the Africa Cup of Nations more than 6 times. Also this year, the Senegalese were not thinking of coming second but coming home with the trophy and celebrating the first AFCON victory.
Mane‘s pressure must have increased and maybe that was the reason he missed his first penalty against Egypt. This did not potent well for many Senegalese watching the match both home and abroad. There were grimaces of pain and frustration with the fans using social media to voice their opinion and to abuse Mane whom they were afraid will not keep his promise of winning the trophy.
Sadio Diouf, a Senegalese who resides in London said he was not happy with Mane’s penalty loss, as he was one of those who abused him on his social media page with his friends.
“I was angry, fumed, and feel like slapping Mane. We have been at the final not twice and the final against Egypt means so much to the nation of Senegal. I had so much hope and expectation on that penalty and he did not score, I was angry because I just want to see Senegal win AFCON. At the time of missing the penalty, I abused him on social media with friends. I said he is only good at Liverpool and useless winning a trophy for his home country”.
The game ended in extra-time while both teams did not score. They were left with a penalty shootout to determine the winner. Many have argued that if they were in Mane’s shoes, they won’t come back to play the winning penalty because anything can happen. But Mane was brave enough to control pressure and take off the limit of missing the first penalty to score the winning goal. Senegal clinched the first-ever Africa Cup of Nations.
There were jubilations and echoes of joy in the country of Senegal and all kinds of people living abroad. Mane and his team made it happen while the Presidents declared a public holiday to celebrate the players. They were given sumptuous gifts for making their country proud including the native coach who had stayed strong for 8 years.
There have been accolades and praise for Sadio Mane for not just making his country proud by winning AFCON but for his charitable acts in his hometown and across the country. Sadio had built a hospital and functional schools in his hometown. He has contributed to the construction of mosques and provided funds to aid the development of the youths in his hometown. Mane feels life has done well for him and he needs to extend his tentacles to lift many out of the dungeon of poverty.
Taiwo Adeniyi, a football analyst is overwhelmed at Mane’s benevolent disposition and he feels such acts should be emulated by well to do Africans and politicians.
“Bambi is where Mane watched Liverpool’s famous comeback against AC Milan to win the 2005 Champions League final – at the age of 13. And his home is never far from his mind.
From French club Metz to Liverpool via Austria’s RB Salzburg and Southampton, Mane has come a long way to being recognized as one of the finest players in the world.
He is a winner of the English Premier League and the Champions League with Liverpool, the reigning African footballer of the year was keen to bring a prestigious trophy to Senegal.
Mane is a humble soul who is always moved by the needs of his people. Let us have 5 of Sadio mane in Africa and I tell you that Africa will never be the same. It costs nothing to be of valuable use to our community and locality and I think Mane has shown us a better way to live”.
Mane has continued to gain attention for standing tall not only for his country but for the continent of Africa. His act of giving and charitable disposition cum his background story has continued to be of keen interest to the majority of people across the world.
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