France’s loss is Senegal’s gain with Koulibaly
LIBREVILLE: Kalidou Koulibaly admits he waited and waited for the call to come from France before choosing to play for Senegal, and does not regret his decision for one second.
The powerful 25 - year - old centre-back was born in France and represented the country of his birth at under-20 level, but he accepted the call from coach Aliou Cisse in September 2015 to help the Lions of Teranga qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I waited for a long time for a call- up for Les Bleus,” says the Napoli star. “I know there was a possibility at the time of my arrival at Napoli, but I have made my decision now and I don’t regret it.
“Senegal have a magnificent team. There are young players, a lot of whom have played in France and now in England.”
Having waited for the cal l that never came, Koulibaly was astounded to hear France coach Didier Deschamps cite his name in an interview on French television last year when asked about players who he was monitoring.
“I was watching the programme without really paying attention and then I heard my name. He must have missed something. I don’t blame him for it,” said Koulibaly, who is now focused fully on helping the country of his roots.
Runners- up in 2002, Senegal have never won the Africa Cup of Nations before.
However, the presence of players such as Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate, Sadio Mane, Moussa Sow and Koulibaly in their squad means they are one of the favourites going into this year’s tournament in Gabon.
In a Group B also containing much- fancied Algeria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe, Senegal should at least make the knockout rounds, something they failed to do in Equatorial Guinea two years ago.
“Our common objective is to get past the first round,” admitted Koulibaly, who has shaken off an injury to make the squad, after an audience with President Macky Sall. — AFP