WHEN the Africa Cup of Nations began in Egypt last month, Senegal winger Sadio Mane said it is his “absolute dream” to help his country win the tournament for the first time.
The star player went as far as saying he was prepared to swap his Champions his League success with Liverpool for an Afcon medal.
“To win for my country, which has never won a Cup of Nations, would be magnificent. I’m even ready to trade in my Champions League success to win the Africa Cup of Nations,” Mane said.
“The return to Dakar (with the trophy) would be extraordinary.
“That’s my craziest dream,” he said.
Now, the 27-year-old is on the verge of achieving his dream as his country Senegal is two matches away from glory.
The 2002 Afcon runners-up, tonight (6pm), need to overcome Tunisia in the first semi-final blockbuster at 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
And Mane, who has been a key figure in the squad on their journey to this stage, will be carrying their hopes.
Mane is currently joint-leading scorer at the tournament with three goals under his name along with three other players which are Odion Ighalo (Nigeria), Cedric Bakambu (Congo DR), and Adam Ounas of Algeria.
Mane said: “For me, the most important thing is to win it with Senegal.
“I’ll try and score more goals and help my teammates score so that we can finally win this cup.”
He will be expected to continue leading coach Aliou Cissé charges by example against The Eagles of Carthage who are playing their first Afcon semi-final since 2004.
But it won’t be an easy journey for Senegal as Tunisia have also showed their capabilities in the tournament knocking out the likes of Ghana to reach semifinal.
In the quarter-final Tunisia outclassed surprise package of the tournament Indian Ocean island side Madagascar 3-0 on Thursday.
Madagascar, ranked 108th in the world, were the story of their debut tournament.
On the other hand, Senegal ended Benin’s journey in the Africa showpiece defeating them1-0.
