Aliou Cissé, the biggest coach in the history of Senegal?

Aliou Cissé, the coach of the national team of Senegal, has entered the history of football in his country. The final of this Friday between Senegal and Algeria is a crucial match for his career.

In the event of a Lions victory, Cissé will be the most successful coach in Senegal because he will become the first to win the continental trophy. And even if defeated, it will be only the second time in history that the country has taken second place in this competition, which remains a feat.

He has been able to impose military discipline on his players who nicknamed him Yahya Jammeh, named after the former strongman of The Gambia, in exile since 2017 in Equatorial Guinea.

Very good winners

According to the Senegalese Football Federation, in 45 games played, he had 28 victories, conceded 11 draws and suffered 5 defeats. Aliou Cissé is also the record man. 17 years later, he propels Senegal in the final of the African Cup of Nations (ACN).

Indeed, in 2004, the Lions he captains had lost on penalties against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon (0-0, 2-3). Before qualifying on Sunday, the former captain of the 2002 generation had already achieved the feat of qualifying Senegal in the semifinals, after 13 years of absence and quarter-final at the previous ACN 2017 organized by Gabon.

On the international front, Aliou Cissé managed to climb the legendary Bruno Metsu by qualifying Senegal at the 2018 Russian World Cup.

Since 2015, former international midfielder Aliou Cissé has been leading the Senegal team. Selected 35 times as a player, Cissé had succeeded Alain Giresse as a coach. At the time, he was the assistant coach of the Senegalese Olympic football team at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he had the first victory of an African team in overcoming Poland (1-2). The only black coach of the World Cup in Russia, he was with Nabil Mahloul of Tunisia, the only African coach of the competition.

“It’s good that I’m the only black coach in this world cup, even if it’s a subject that bothers me … Today, football is universal and I think the color of the skin is not of importance but to see it shows that we have quality coaches on the continent,” he said during an interview with the BBC.

Aliou Cissé was still pushing his teammate to victory. He was the captain of this team that wrote one of the most beautiful pages in the history of Senegalese football. In their first World Cup appearance, they managed to reach the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup organized by Japan and South Korea.

Aliou Cissé began his career in Lille, France, Paris Saint-Germain, and Montpellier. From 2002 to 2006, he played in the English Premier League playing Birmingham City and then Portsmouth.

A Lions victory would make the man with dreadlocks in his head, the most successful coach in Senegalese football.

Show More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button