Sadio Mane has cemented himself in the pantheon of all-time African greats with his second AFCON crown… his trophy cabinet is as full as anyone’s and Liverpool still haven’t properly replaced him, writes LEWIS STEELE

Let’s be honest, it’ll go to one of Gianni Infantino’s cronies – but the 2026 ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ should be awarded to Sadio Mane.

United States president Donald Trump was the inaugural recipient of that gong, which seemed as appropriate as Morocco winning the ‘fair play award’ here at the Africa Cup of Nations. 

To recap, Sunday’s final descended into chaos with ugly scenes after a soft refereeing decision handed hosts Morocco a 96th-minute penalty. Their opponents Senegal walked off in protest – most players heading down the tunnel – as travelling fans tried to storm the pitch.

Pape Thiaw, the Senegal boss later labelled as ‘shameful’ by his opposite number Walid Regragui in a press conference that nearly sparked another brawl, was adamant: his team would not re-enter the pitch.

But one man had other ideas: Mane. ‘It was I who convinced the team to return,’ he later explained. ‘The players and the coach decided to withdraw, I didn’t understand that decision, but finally I told everyone to return immediately and to play, no matter the cost.’

Mane battles with Morocco’s Oussama Targhaline on the way to Senegal’s nail-biting extra-time victory

The only man that retained any semblance of calm amid all the chaos was Mane. Now 33 and playing in Saudi Arabia, the former Liverpool man might be out of sight, out of mind in the eyes of English fans but no one can doubt the significance of the Al-Nassr forward’s list of achievements.

This was a second AFCON title, four years on from his first. At club level, his trophy cabinet includes: a Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, German Bundesliga, Austrian Bundesliga, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

As far as winner’s medal collections go, Mane is up there with the very best in the 21st century.

In terms of African all-time greats, how high should he be on a list alongside Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Riyad Mahrez, George Weah and, of course, Mo Salah? Given his achievements, you could make a compelling case for Mane to be very, very near the top as the best this continent has ever seen.

His relationship with his Egyptian contemporary has often been sold as a rivalry and a fiery episode at Burnley in 2019, where they clashed over Salah’s failure to pass to Mane, certainly helped with that theory.

Ex-Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino later recalled in his book Si Senor: ‘Mane left Liverpool precisely because he didn’t feel as valued as Salah within the club.’ But the Brazilian was at pains to add they had ‘utmost respect’ for one another despite not being ‘close friends’.

At international level, it has been a thrilling rivalry to define a generation – both competing to be king of African football.

Mane scored the winning penalty as Senegal beat Egypt in the 2021 AFCON final, they knocked them out on the way to this title and won a play-off for the 2022 World Cup in Dakar. Mane 3 Salah 0.

Mane, a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2019, has a trophy collection that puts him as one of the greatest African players ever

He has had the edge on his former Reds team-mate Mohamed Salah when the pair have met at AFCON in recent years

That, in the eyes of many on this continent, is a leveller in the debate over who is better and, around the world on Sunday night, it was hard to argue against the merits of Mane’s illustrious career.

Is it a stretch to say, four years on from his exit, Liverpool still haven’t properly replaced him?

This was his last AFCON and what a fairytale ending to a story that began in the rural village of Bambali where his father, an imam, forbade him from playing sport in order to focus on his religious studies. He will still play in the World Cup, with France and Norway in their group.

At 15, he ran away from home to the capital of Dakar to become a footballer. The rest, as they say, is history – and Mane shall go down in the record books as one of the greatest African players of all time… and with it maybe one of the best of his generation across the globe.