Moussa Niakhate and Pape Thiaw disagree with the idea of last Africa Cup of Nations for Sadio Mane

Moussa Niakhate and Pape Thiaw returned to the pre-match press conference on Saturday to discuss Sadio Mane's statement about his future with the national team.

The Senegalese international defender and his coach are not in agreement with the decision made by the Lions of Teranga's iconic striker. After Senegal's victory over Egypt in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Sadio Mane said: ‘I will be very happy to play my last final, I will enjoy it and try to win for my country.’

This decision has not gone down well with his coach and teammates. At a press conference ahead of tomorrow's final, Pape Thiaw clearly expressed his disagreement. “We don't agree with his decision to play his last Africa Cup of Nations. Neither the people nor I agree. We want to see him continue with us. Sadio Mane is an exceptional man. He is a player who put his life on the line on the pitch in 2022 to win us the Africa Cup of Nations. We don't want him to stop. We still need him.”

Moussa Niakhate added: "Sadio Mane is an exceptional player. He deserved to win the Ballon d'Or in his career. But above all, as a man, he is wonderful. "