It will be, it’s official. But will he tread the lawns of Qatar? Sadio Mané, best African player and second in the 2022 Ballon d’Or, is on Senegal’s list for the 2022 World Cup presented Friday in Dakar by coach Aliou Cissé. This announcement, however, does not say anything about his chances of competing in the competition, three days after his fibula injury on Tuesday evening.
The participation of the Teranga Lions star striker has been in doubt since he went off, hit in the fibula, in the 21st minute during the German league match with his club, Bayern Munich, against Werder Bremen ( 6-1).
After the intervention of Bavarian doctors, Mané tried to regain his place, but quickly signaled to his trainer Julian Nagelsmann that he could not continue. He was replaced by German international Leroy Sané in the 21st minute.
He “remains zen, he is professional, he knows that injury is part of the job”
Sadio Mané’s injury came as a shock in Dakar, with President Macky Sall tweeting “Sadio, I wish you a speedy recovery from your injury in the Bayern-Werder Bremen match. As I told you: Sadio, Lionheart! Wholeheartedly with you ! God bless you ! “. Unsurprisingly, Sadio Mané will not play Bayern Munich’s last game on Saturday before the World Cup.
Reigning African champion, after his coronation at the beginning of February, Senegal is one of the outsiders of the tournament. The team will start on November 21 against the Netherlands, in a group that also includes the host country and Ecuador. Mané represents so much for the selection and the country that, even at 50% physically, his presence in the group remains undeniable.
The 2022 Silver Ball “remains zen, he is a professional, he knows that injury is part of the job”, a source within the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) told AFP on Thursday. As a reminder, like every coach, Aliou Cissé has until the day before his entry into the running to make a final change.
