Iran Press/ Africa: They are among the strongest teams in Africa, with several trophies to their name and numerous appearances in AFCON.
The Senegal national football team enjoys a number of talented players in top-flight leagues such as the English Premier League and Serie A.
Their nickname is Les Lions de la Teranga which translates to the Lions of Teranga in English.
Past glories
Senegal national football team has had successful runs in most competitions they have taken part in. The players play in top-flight leagues all over the world.
Their AFCON appearances have almost been certain. They were runners-up in 2002 and 2019. They have also won the Amilcar Cabral cup several times. They have a strong squad and managed to win the AFCON in 2022.
They are currently ranked at number 20 as of January 2022. This number is their highest ranking ever, with their lowest ranking being 99 on Jun. 6, 2013.
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Roaster
The team has a 28-man squad with an average age of 26 years. They have four goalkeepers, three center-backs, three left-backs, two right-backs, six defensive midfielders, two central midfielders, two left-wingers, one right-winger and five center forwards. The players are as follows:
The goalkeepers are Edouard Mendy, Alfred Gomis, Seny Dieng and Aliou Badara Faty.
The center backs are Kalidou Koulibaly, Pape Abou Cisse and Abdoulaye Seck.
The left-backs are Abdou Diallo, Fode Ballo-Toure and Saliou Ciss.
The right-backs are Bouna Sarr and Ibrahima Mbaye.
The defensive midfielders are Pape Sarr, Idrissa Gueye, Pape Gueye, Nampalys Mendy, Cheikhou Kouyate and Mamadou Loum.
The central midfielders are Moustapha Name and Joseph Lopy.
The left-wingers are Sadio Mane and Mame Thiam.
The only right-winger is Ismaila Sarr, who has a ligament injury.
The center-forwards are Boulaye Dia, Habib Diallo, Bamba Dieng, Keita Balde and Famara Diedhiou.
Captain
Kalidou Koulibaly, their captain, was born on June 20, 1991, in Saint-Die-des-Vosges in France. He currently plays for Serie A club Napoli as a center-back and has had 53 appearances for the country. He is 6’1” or 186cms tall.
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Head coach
Their team coach is former PSG defender and midfielder Aliou Cisse. He played for the national team too. He was born on Mar. 24 1976 in Ziguinchor, Senegal. His coaching duties started in March 2015. Senegal’s loss in the AFCON 2002 was due to his missed penalty.
He also lost the AFCON finals in 2019 as manager but managed to AFCON in 2022.
World Cup draw
Defending Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal will pose a real challenge in the Qatar World Cup Group A, with all eyes likely to be on their talismanic Liverpool striker Sadio Mane.
The hosts, Qatar, will have to overcome two of the perceived heavyweights from both Africa and Europe if they are to make it past the group stages of their own tournament.
As another powerhouse in the group, the Netherlands national football team hopes to become the World Cup champion despite failing to win it after reaching the World Cup finals three times.
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