Patrick Vieira weighs Ismaila Sarr and Pape Gueye for Senegal captaincy

Patrick Vieira is considering Ismaila Sarr and Pape Gueye as potential successors to Kalidou Koulibaly as Senegal captain, with the veteran defender no longer guaranteed a place in the starting XI.

Koulibaly, 35, was left on the bench and did not feature in Senegal’s final two matches at the 2026 World Cup after underwhelming performances against France and Norway. The new head coach reportedly does not regard the Al-Hilal centre-back as an automatic selection.

Vieira included Koulibaly in his first squad for the current international break, but Match360 reports that he is not expected to begin the upcoming matches as a starter.

The former Senegal captain is instead likely to be used to support the team’s younger players and provide experience. With 105 international appearances and two goals, Idrissa Gueye is the only older and more-capped player in the squad.

Vieira is now thought to be considering two of the few Senegal players to emerge from the World Cup with their reputations enhanced.

The first option is Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr, who is 28 and has won 87 caps, scoring 23 goals.

Sarr has made six attacking contributions in his past three appearances for Senegal, scoring at least once in each of those matches. His tally during that run is four goals and two assists.

He scored twice against Norway before registering a goal and an assist in the 0-5 victory over Iraq, which secured Senegal’s qualification for the knockout phase, and then continuing his positive run against Belgium in the last 16.

The second candidate is Pape Gueye, who impressed against Belgium despite not scoring or providing an assist.

The Villarreal midfielder had openly called for a change in the technical leadership of the Lions after Senegal’s elimination. He also made it clear that he would not play for the national team again while Pape Thiaw remained in charge.

Vieira must now decide whether the armband should go to the team’s prolific forward or to a midfielder viewed as a potential leader. If the current movement continues, a decision will be required before Senegal’s first match of the 2026-27 season.

Senegal face Mozambique and Ethiopia on 25 and 29 September respectively in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. They will then play Comoros in a friendly in Marseille on 4 October.