Veteran French coach Claude Le Roy has shared his thoughts on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, praising the heroics of experienced attacker Sadio Mane.
Le Roy suggested that events during the tournament largely confirmed predictions he had made beforehand about the condition of several African stars.
“Before the tournament, I was saying that Mane, whose personality did not surprise me, and players like Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah, and Aubameyang, you cannot expect much from them in terms of physical consistency, for many reasons. I mentioned, for example, that Omar Marmoush was more physically prepared than Mohamed Salah during the tournament,” he said.
Despite those expectations, the former Cameroon coach admitted he was particularly impressed by Sadio Mane’s impact from start to finish. He noted that the Senegalese forward appeared fully focused throughout the competition, describing his displays as exceptional.
“His level amazed me, especially since I thought he would be affected by his move to the Saudi League after competing at higher levels in the Premier League specifically,” Le Roy added.
He went on to underline the scale of Mane’s contribution to Senegal’s success.
“Mane delivered an exceptional tournament in every sense of the word.”
Senegal went on to defeat hosts Morocco 1-0 in Rabat to lift the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in their history.
The final was marked by controversy, as the Lions of Teranga briefly left the pitch in protest over the award of a penalty kick, which was later missed by Ibrahim Diaz.
