2026 World Cup: After Sadio Mané, 6 other Senegalese players praised by the New York Times

While Sadio Mané is in another "planet" with players like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the "Legends" category (the highest) , 6 other Senegalese players feature in the ranking of the 200 stars of the 2026 World Cup. They are positioned in different categories of this ranking which has 5 branches, namely Legends, Superstars, Key Players, Rising Stars and Unsung Heroes.

In the "Key Players" section, the third category after "Legends" and "Superstars," there are three Senegalese players: Lamine Camara, Nicolas Jackson, and Iliman Ndiaye. These three Lions are featured alongside illustrious footballers of the moment such as Pedri (Spain), Rodri (Spain), Raphinha (Brazil), and Riyad Mahrez (Algeria). They may not be the stars of their national teams, but they are essential players.

In the fourth category, "Rising Stars," we find two other Senegalese players: Ibrahim Mbaye and Mamadou Sarr. The two players, aged 18 and 20 respectively, share the same group as Nico Paz (Argentina), Endrick (Brazil), Rayan Cherki (France), and Gavi (Spain).

The 7th Senegalese player on the New York Times list is Pape Matar Sarr. He is in the "Unsung Heroes" category, which he shares with players like Kai Havertz (Germany), Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) or Tijjani Reijnders (Netherlands).

However, some reservations can be raised about this ranking, which clearly relies more on the footballers' fame in Europe than their actual importance to their national teams. For example, in the "Key Players" category, Lamine Camara is chosen, whereas in the Senegalese national team, Pape Gueye and Idrissa Gana Gueye are the midfield maestros. The same applies to Pape Matar Sarr in the "Unsung Heroes" category, even though the Tottenham player underperforms and plays very little for the national team, while players like Krépin Diatta emerge as true unsung heroes.