The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Senegal

This page contains a list of the greatest Senegalese Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 73 of which were born in Senegal. This makes Senegal the birth place of the 45th most number of Soccer Players behind Bulgaria, and Costa Rica.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Senegalese Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Senegalese Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Senegalese Soccer Players.

1. Patrick Vieira (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 60.47, Patrick Vieira is the most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 66 different languages on wikipedia.

Patrick Paul Vieira (French: [patʁik vjɛʁa]; born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player. He was named in the FIFA 100 of greatest living footballers in 2004. Vieira began his playing career at Cannes, where several standout performances garnered him a move to Serie A club AC Milan. In 1996, he relocated to England to join fellow countryman Arsène Wenger at Arsenal for a fee of £3.5 million. During his nine-year stint in the Premier League, Vieira established himself as a dominating box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that also helped him excel as captain of the club from 2002 until his departure in 2005. He helped Arsenal achieve a sustained period of success during his time at the club, where he lifted four FA Cups and three league titles, including one unbeaten. He was named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year for six consecutive years from 1999 to 2004. He returned to Italy, playing for Juventus, but quickly departed after the club was relegated as punishment for its part in the Calciopoli scandal. He then signed for Inter Milan, where he consecutively won four league titles, before featuring for Manchester City, where he won another FA Cup, before retiring in 2011. Vieira featured at senior level for much of his international career, representing France over a period of twelve years, where he also spent some time as captain. He played in the final in his nation's victorious campaign at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and featured heavily as the team also won UEFA Euro 2000. He also appeared for France at the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, in the side that finished runners-up in the 2006 World Cup, and at Euro 2008, before retiring from international competition in 2010, having made 107 appearances for the side. Following retirement, Vieira transitioned into coaching and took charge of the academy at Manchester City in 2013. He departed two years later to become manager of Major League Soccer club New York City FC. He subsequently managed Ligue 1 club Nice between 2018 and 2020, Premier League side Crystal Palace between 2021 and 2023, and Ligue 1 club RC Strasbourg between 2023 and 2024.

2. Sadio Mané (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 56.59, Sadio Mané is the 2nd most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 72 different languages.

Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Senegal national team. Known for his pressing, dribbling and speed, Mané is considered by some sources to be one of the greatest African players of all time. Mané began his professional career with Ligue 2 club Metz at the age of 19, but he departed after a solitary season to join Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in 2012 for a fee of €4 million, winning a league and cup domestic double in the 2013–14 season. Later that summer, Mané transferred to English club Southampton for a club record fee of £11.8 million. There, he set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick, scored in 176 seconds in a 6–1 win over Aston Villa in 2015. Mané signed for fellow Premier League club Liverpool in 2016, for a reported fee of £34 million, making him the most expensive African player in history at that time. Having formed a formidable attacking trio with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino after the departure of prolific midfielder Philippe Coutinho, he helped the side reach back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter. He also finished as the league's joint-top goalscorer in the 2018–19 season, winning the Premier League Golden Boot. Mané then helped end Liverpool's 30-year league title drought by winning the 2019–20 Premier League. In October 2021, he scored his 100th Premier League goal, becoming the third African to reach the landmark. Mané finished fourth and second in the 2019 and 2022 editions of the Ballon d'Or, respectively; and in The Best FIFA Men's Player he ranked fifth in 2019 and fourth in 2020. At international level, Mané has registered 43 goals in 107 appearances for Senegal since his debut in 2012, and currently ranks as his nation's all-time top goalscorer, and second in all-time appearances. He represented Senegal at the 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. In the 2019 tournament, Mané helped Senegal to a runners-up finish, and a year later, was named African Footballer of the Year. In the 2021 final, Mané scored the winning kick in the penalty shoot-out to give Senegal their first Africa Cup of Nations title and he was also named the Player of the tournament. In 2022, he was crowned African Player of the Year for the second time. Mané also represented his nation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in its second-ever appearance in the competition. Mané was born to Guinean parents in Bambali, Sédhiou, Senegal. He wished for a career in football, but his father (who was an imam) forbade him from playing the sport as a child; however, his father died when he was seven years old. At the age of 15, he ran away from his home village with the help of a childhood friend, Luc Djiboune, and went to Dakar to pursue his ambition of becoming a footballer; from that time he was supported by his family to fulfill his potential. In 2009, when playing in M'Bour, he was spotted by scouts and later referred to Génération Foot, a club that he helped attain promotion to the second division in the 2010–11 season. In 2011, Mané joined Metz which had a partnership with Génération Foot. He made his professional debut on 14 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for Kévin Diaz in the 75th minute of a 0–1 home defeat against Bastia in Ligue 2. He made 19 appearances in his first league season, 12 as a starter, and scored a solitary goal in a 2–5 loss to Guingamp at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on 4 May. Metz was relegated to the Championnat National at the end of the season. Metz set an asking price of €2 million for Mane, and he attracted attention, including from Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg sporting director Ralf Rangnick. Having received several offers throughout the summer, Metz upped their asking price to €4 million, and he moved to Salzburg on 31 August 2012, the third-biggest transfer fee that Metz had ever received. He scored his first hat-trick for the club on 31 October, in a 3–1 away win at SC Kalsdorf in the third round of the Austrian Cup. On 27 October 2013, he netted his first hat-trick in the Austrian Bundesliga, during a 3–0 win away to Grödig. He scored another treble on 7 May 2014 as Salzburg won 7–0 at Horn in the cup semi-finals; the season ended with the team winning a domestic double. At the end of August 2014 Mané forced a transfer out of the club, by not coming to the training and to the most important game for Salzburg at that time to qualify for the Champions League. On 1 September 2014, Mané transferred to Premier League side Southampton for £11.8 million, signing a four-year contract. He made his debut 22 days later in a 2–1 League Cup victory over Arsenal, winning the penalty for Southampton's first goal. He made his first league appearance for the club in another 2–1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on 27 September, starting and assisting Ryan Bertrand for the first goal of the game. He scored his first goal for the club in an 8–0 victory over Sunderland on 18 October, although this was subsequently credited as an own goal by Patrick van Aanholt. He did, however, score his first goal in his next game, a 1–0 win over Stoke City a week later. In December and January he scored in three successive matches, against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal. Mané scored two late winning goals in 1–0 league victories at Queens Park Rangers on 7 February 2015 and at home to Crystal Palace on 3 March respectively. However, Mané had been dropped from Southampton's starting line-up for their 0–2 home defeat to Liverpool on 22 February as a punishment for being late to the stadium. On 16 May, during Southampton's final home match of the season, Mané scored three times in 2 minutes 56 seconds in a 6–1 win over Aston Villa to set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick. The record had been held since 1994 by Robbie Fowler, who scored three against Arsenal in 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Mané finished the season with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. Mané began the 2015–16 season by registering two assists in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg match with Vitesse Arnhem at home and scoring in the return leg, as Southampton eased through to the next round 5–0 on aggregate. On 2 December, he took 39 seconds to open the scoring against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the League Cup, but the Saints eventually lost 6–1 at home. On 2 January 2016, he was again dropped from the starting line-up by manager Ronald Koeman for a match at Norwich City when he turned up late for a pre-match meeting. He received a straight red card on 12 March at the end of a 2–1 win at Stoke City for a collision into Erik Pieters, although this was quickly overturned on appeal. Having failed to score in the league for over four months, Mané scored twice in a 3–2 victory over Liverpool on 20 March 2016, followed by five goals in the next five matches, including a hat-trick in a 4–2 victory against Manchester City on 1 May. He finished the season as Southampton's top scorer, with 15 goals in all competitions. On 28 June 2016, Mané joined Liverpool for a transfer fee of £34 million (which could rise to £36 million) on a five-year contract. The transfer fee made him the most expensive African player in history at the time. On 14 August, he made his Premier League debut for the Reds, scoring the fourth goal in a 4–3 away win against Arsenal. Having missed Liverpool's defeat at Burnley through a slight shoulder injury, Mané returned to the starting line-up against Burton Albion in the League Cup where he had two assists in a 5–0 win. On 19 December, Mané scored the only goal of the 227th Merseyside derby in added time against Everton at Goodison Park. On 11 February 2017, Mané scored two goals within two minutes against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, for Liverpool's first league win in 2017. On 20 April 2017, Mané was named in the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 13 league goals in his first season with Liverpool. Despite missing the latter part of the campaign through injury, Mané was awarded the Liverpool Player of the Season award on 9 May 2017. In the first match of the new season, on 12 August 2017, away to Watford, Mané scored Liverpool's first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw. He was named Premier League Player of the Month after scoring a goal in each of the Reds' three matches in August. On 9 September 2017, he was given a straight red card in the first half of a 5–0 loss to Manchester City for a high boot against goalkeeper Ederson, resulting in a three-match ban. Mané, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho made up a prolific attacking quartet dubbed the "Fab Four" and "Fab Three" after the mid-season exit of the latter. On 14 February 2018, Mané scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool in a 5–0 away win against Porto in the round of 16 first leg of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. In doing so, he became only the second player to score an away hat-trick for the club in Europe. Later, with a goal in the 3–0 win over AFC Bournemouth on 14 April, he overtook Demba Ba's record of 43 to become the highest scoring Senegalese in Premier League history. On 26 May, during the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid, Mané scored Liverpool's equalising goal in a 3–1 defeat. In doing so, he became the first Senegalese player to score in the final of the competition. His goal was also his 10th for the campaign which saw Liverpool become the first team in history to have three players score 10+ goals in a single Champions League season, with Mané achieving the milestone alongside fellow forwards Salah and Firmino. On 22 November 2018, Mané signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool. On 10 March 2019, Mané scored twice in a 4–2 win over Burnley, the second of which was his 50th competitive goal for Liverpool. His goals also saw him become only the fifth Liverpool player to score in six consecutive home Premier League appearances after Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Luis Suárez and Salah. Three days later, he scored twice more in a 3–1 win over Bayern Munich to help Liverpool progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. In doing so, he became the club's record goalscorer away from home in the competition with seven goals to his name. During Liverpool's next match, he broke another of Ba's records to become the Senegalese player with the most goals scored in a single Premier League season, after scoring his 17th goal for the campaign in a 2–1 win over Fulham. On 20 April, he was one of six players nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award alongside teammate Virgil van Dijk. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside Liverpool teammates, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Van Dijk. On the final day of the domestic campaign, Mané scored twice in a 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. His brace took him to 22 goals for the campaign which saw him share the Premier League Golden Boot award with Salah and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. On 1 June, Mané helped win an early penalty for Liverpool in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham, only 24 seconds after the kick-off, after his cross was judged to have hit Moussa Sissoko's arm inside the penalty area; Salah subsequently converted from the spot to open the scoring, and Liverpool ultimately won the match 2–0 to claim the title. On 14 August 2019, Mané scored twice in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final against Chelsea in a match that Liverpool won 5–4 on penalties after the game had finished 2–2 after 120 minutes. Mané was named man of the match. Exactly one month later, he scored twice in a 3–1 win over Newcastle United and extended his record run of matches without defeat for Liverpool at Anfield to 50 matches, a league record by any player at a particular stadium. On his 100th Premier League appearance for Liverpool on 5 October, Mané scored his 50th league goal for the club in a 2–1 win over Leicester City. On 21 October, Mané was named in the 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or. On 2 December he finished in fourth place for the award, behind Lionel Messi, Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo. Two days later, he scored once and assisted two more goals as Liverpool beat Everton 5–2 in the Merseyside derby to extend their unbeaten run in league football to 32 matches, which was a new club record. Later that month, Liverpool won the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, with Mané setting up the winning goal scored by Firmino in the final against Flamengo. On 7 January 2020, Mané was named the CAF African Footballer of the Year. He is only the second Senegalese (after El Hadji Diouf) to have won this award. On 24 February, Mané scored the winner in a 3–2 home win against West Ham United in the Premier League as Liverpool made it 21 consecutive home wins, a league record shared with Bill Shankly's Liverpool team from 1972, and also made it a joint Premier League record 18 wins in a row. On 7 March, Mané scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win against Bournemouth at Anfield as Liverpool set a new English top-flight record of 22 consecutive home wins. Liverpool went on to win the Premier League title at the end of the season. On 20 September 2020, Mané opened his scoring account in the 2020–21 Premier League with both Liverpool goals in a 2–0 win away to Chelsea. On 2 October 2020, Mané tested positive for COVID-19. Given his and Liverpool's stuttering form, Mané stated that 2020–21 had been the worst season of his career. On 23 May 2021, the final day of the League season, Mané scored a brace in a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace securing third-place for Liverpool and qualification for the next Champions League season. On 18 September 2021, Mané scored his 100th Liverpool goal in a 3–0 home win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. The goal against Crystal Palace also saw Mané set a new Premier League record by becoming the first player to score in nine consecutive league games against the same opponent. On 16 October, Mané scored his 100th Premier League goal—becoming the third African to reach the landmark after Didier Drogba and Salah—with Liverpool's opening goal in the 5–0 win away to Watford. On 10 April 2022, his 30th birthday, Mané scored Liverpool's equalising goal in a 2–2 away draw against Manchester City. Mané then followed this with two goals against the same opposition on 16 April at Wembley Stadium in a FA Cup semi-final, in a 3–2 win to help Liverpool reach their first FA Cup final since 2012, which they eventually won. On 3 May, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 away victory over Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final, to secure his team's place in the final, which Liverpool eventually lost 1–0 to Real Madrid. Liverpool narrowly missed out on the chance to achieve a historic quadruple, coming second in the Premier League and the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League but winning both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup. On 22 June 2022, Mané joined Bundesliga club Bayern Munich on a contract with the German side until 30 June 2025. The fee was reported to be €32 million (£27.4m) potentially rising to €41 million (£35m) based on appearances plus individual and team achievements. On 30 July 2022, Mané made his official debut, starting in the 2022 DFL-Supercup and scored his debut goal to help Bayern to 5–3 victory over RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena. He followed this up a week later with his first Bundesliga goal in a 6–1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. On 8 November, Mané suffered an injury and had to go off after 20 minutes of Bayern's 6–1 victory against Werder Bremen. This injury prevented him from competing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and he had to undergo surgery in his right fibula. He stayed out for three months and made his return on 26 February 2023 as a substitute, coming on in the 65th minute for Kingsley Coman in Bayern's 3–0 win against Union Berlin. On 13 April, Mané was suspended and fined by Bayern, following reports he punched teammate Leroy Sané in the dressing room after a 3–0 Champions League quarter-final loss to Manchester City. On 28 May, Mané won the Bundesliga following the concession of two points by league leaders Borussia Dortmund. On 1 August 2023, Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr announced the signing of Mané. Mané later revealed that former Liverpool teammates Fabinho and Roberto Firmino had previously contacted him in order to recommend to him that he might join their clubs, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia respectively. Mané also stated that his former captain Jordan Henderson had sent him a good luck message upon his departure to Saudi Arabia. Two days later, he made his debut replacing Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa at halftime in their 1–1 draw with Zamalek in the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 August in a 2–1 loss against Al-Ettifaq in the league. Mané was part of the Senegal team at the 2012 Olympic tournament, and started every match as they advanced through Group A as runners-up to Great Britain before losing 4–2 after extra time in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Mexico. Mané was ruled out of the Senegalese squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a calf injury in Southampton's 2–0 win against Arsenal on 1 January 2015. He later returned to the squad, and started in their final two group matches against South Africa and Algeria in a group stage exit. Mané represented Senegal at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and scored a goal in each of the nation's opening two games, 2–0 wins against Tunisia and Zimbabwe. After a goalless draw in the quarter-final clash against Cameroon, he missed the penalty in the shoot-out that saw Senegal eliminated from the tournament. In May 2018, Mané was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against Japan in the group stage. Mané started all three of Senegal's group matches as they were eliminated after the first stage, finishing below Japan on fair play points. Mané was once again called up to Senegal's final squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored two goals and missed a penalty in a 3–0 win against Kenya, as Senegal finished second in the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage. Mané scored the only goal of the match and missed another penalty in Senegal's 1–0 win over Uganda in the round of 16. He played in Senegal's next three matches as they advanced to the final, losing 1–0 to Algeria in a rematch of Senegal's opening game of the tournament. Despite finishing the competition as runner-up, Mané was named in the Team of the Tournament. At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Mané starred for Senegal as they won the competition for the first time. In the final against Egypt – a match which saw him go up against his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah – Mané saw his penalty saved in the 7th minute, but went on to score the winning kick in the penalty shootout. As well as scoring the decisive kick to win the trophy, Mané scored three goals and had two assists prior to the final, and was named the player of the tournament. In the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifications, he also scored the winning kick in the penalty shoot-out against Egypt after a 1–1 draw on aggregate, in order to qualify his country to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 4 June 2022, Mané scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Benin in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, to become Senegal's all-time top scorer with 32 goals, surpassing Henri Camara. On 11 November 2022, Mané was included in Senegal's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, despite an injury he picked up during Bayern Munich's 6–1 win over Werder Bremen a few days prior. However, on 17 November, Mané was ruled out of the tournament and withdrew from the squad. Mané made his 100th appearance for Senegal on 18 November 2023, scoring twice in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Sudan. In December 2023, Mané was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast. Mané was described as a complete player who plays with "high levels of intensity and concentration" by Liverpool teammate Fabinho. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called Mané a "world-class winger", comparing him to the likes of former Liverpool player John Barnes. He was compared to Cristiano Ronaldo by former Ajax defender Danny Blind, who praised him for his ability to score with either foot and headers, along with making "astonishing" sprints. A versatile forward, Mané is a prolific goalscorer, whose main traits are his finishing, speed, technique, and trickery in possession, as well as his decision-making, tactical awareness, creativity, agility, balance, control, touch on the ball, and dribbling skills. He has drawn praise in the media for his intelligent play, passing, and his ability to get into good positions, from which he can score goals or create chances for teammates. Known for his quiet and timid personality, his ability to cope with pressure has also been highlighted as one of his main strengths. Beyond his offensive, technical, and creative qualities, his high defensive work-rate has also been noted by pundits, as well as his ability in the air, despite his modest stature of 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in). Mané usually plays as a winger on the left flank, a position which allows him to cut into the centre and shoot on goal with his stronger, right foot. During the 2021–22 season, with the signing of Luis Díaz, Mané began playing more as a central striker. Mané has been cited by Kyle Walker as one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced. In 2019, Mané donated £250,000 ($319,103; €284,813) to build a school in his home town of Bambali, Senegal. In March 2020, Mané donated £41,000 ($52,564; €46,083) to the national committee fighting COVID-19 in Senegal. In 2021, he donated £500,000 ($684,932; €561,987) towards the construction of a hospital in Bambali. In addition, he has also financed the building of a petrol station and a post office for his local community, supplying the school with free laptops and internet from the 4G internet service he financed in the village. In total, he has spent more than £700,000 ($958,904; €786,782) on these upgrades. In addition, he commissioned a €70-a-month stipend to each family in his 2,000-person hometown. This is roughly equivalent to a month's wage for a Senegalese citizen on a minimum wage. Mané is also an ambassador for Right To Play, an international non-profit organization with a mission to empower vulnerable children. He has collaborated with the non-profit to provide equality and empowerment to young girls and women in Senegal, raising “awareness of the importance for both girls and boys to be able to access sport and education opportunities”. Whilst at Liverpool, Mané resided in Allerton, Liverpool, and has been burgled twice, once in November 2017 and again in February 2019. He is a practising Muslim and occasionally is seen making du'a before the start of each match. He was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation's victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He married Aisha Tamba, who is 13 years younger than him, on 7 January 2024 through an Islamic rite. At the time of their marriage, he was 31 and she was 18 years old. They had reportedly met more than two years before. As of match played 31 May 2024 As of match played 26 March 2024 Red Bull Salzburg Austrian Bundesliga: 2013–14 Austrian Cup: 2013–14 Liverpool Premier League: 2019–20 FA Cup: 2021–22 EFL Cup: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18, 2021–22 UEFA Super Cup: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup: 2019 Bayern Munich Bundesliga: 2022–23 DFL-Supercup: 2022 Al Nassr Arab Club Champions Cup: 2023 King Cup runner-up: 2023–24 Senegal Africa Cup of Nations: 2021; runner-up: 2019 Individual Sócrates Award: 2022 CAF Team of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023 PFA Team of the Year: 2016–17 Premier League, 2018–19 Premier League, 2019–20 Premier League, 2021–22 Premier League PFA Fans' Player of the Month: August & September 2016, August 2018, March 2019 Premier League Player of the Month: August 2017, March 2019, November 2019 Liverpool Fans' Player of the Season Award: 2016–17 Liverpool Players' Player of the Season Award: 2016–17 Premier League Golden Boot: 2018–19 (shared) UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19 UEFA Team of the Year: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019, 2021 African Footballer of the Year: 2019, 2022 Onze d'Or: 2018–19 IFFHS Men's World Team: 2019 ESM Team of the Year: 2018–19 PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2019–20 Premier League IFFHS CAF Men Team of The Year: 2020, 2021, 2022, IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020 IFFHS Best CAF Men's Player of the Year: 2020, 2022 Orders Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022 List of Liverpool F.C. records and statistics Premier League records and statistics List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps Profile at the FC Bayern Munich website. Archived 1 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Profile at the Bundesliga website Sadio Mané – FIFA competition record (archived) Sadio Mané – UEFA competition record (archive) Sadio Mané at Premier League

3. Patrice Evra (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 54.10, Patrice Evra is the 3rd most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 67 different languages.

Patrice Latyr Evra (born 15 May 1981) is a French former professional footballer. Originally a forward, he primarily played as a left-back. Evra served as captain for both Manchester United and the France national team. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year on three occasions, as well as the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year. He was regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. The son of a diplomat, Evra was born in Senegal and arrived in Europe when he was a year old. Evra started his senior career with Italian club Marsala. The following season, he joined Monza, but returned to France a year later to play for Nice where he was converted into a full-back. In 2002, he joined Monaco and was part of the team that reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final. Evra's performances for Monaco culminated in a move to English club Manchester United in January 2006, where he spent eight years and went on to win 14 trophies including five Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League. In 2014 he joined Italian side Juventus, where he won two Serie A titles and played in another Champions League final. Evra moved to Marseille in January 2017; however, he was released in November 2017 after being banned from UEFA competition for seven months for kicking a fan prior to a UEFA Europa League match. Following a short-term contract with West Ham United in February 2018, Evra retired from professional football in July 2019, later completing his professional coaching badges and returning to former club Manchester United as a trainee coach at the club's academy. Evra participated in five major international tournaments for France: the 2008, 2012 and 2016 UEFA European Championships, and both the 2010 and 2014 editions of the FIFA World Cup. Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, Evra was named captain of the national team by manager Raymond Domenech. At the tournament, he appeared in two group matches, although France had a poor campaign that saw the players go on strike after a first-round elimination. The incident resulted in Evra, for his role as captain, being suspended from national team duty for five matches. He returned to the squad and enjoyed a successful 2014 World Cup in Brazil under Didier Deschamps as France reached the quarter-finals. Evra began his football career playing for hometown club CO Les Ulis. After playing in the streets for years, he was brought to the club by friend Tshymen Buhanga, who informed the club coach, "I bring you the new Romário." Evra spent one year at the club under the watch of coach Jean-Claude Giordanella, who later became vice-president of the club. Giordanella described the player as "more quiet, almost shy. He was a good kid". Evra originally played football in the striker position and, while training at Les Ulis, underwent trials with professional clubs Rennes and Lens. Following the conclusion of the evaluations, Evra was rejected primarily due to his size. In 1993, he joined amateur club CSF Brétigny based in nearby Brétigny-sur-Orge. Similar to his stint with Les Ulis, Evra went on trials with several clubs, most notably Toulouse and Paris Saint-Germain. He was ultimately signed by the latter and converted into a winger. Evra trained at the Camp des Loges for a few months, but was later released. After failing to convince PSG officials of his ability as a footballer, Evra returned to Brétigny and was invited by a friend to participate in an indoor five-a-side football tournament organised by the Juvisy-sur-Orge sports center. While playing, he was spotted by an Italian scout who offered him the opportunity to attend a trial with professional club Torino. Evra spent ten days training with the club and, after the trial, was offered a place on the club's youth team. Afterwards, he was approached by Serie C1 club Marsala, whose officials enticed him with the prospect of becoming a professional. Evra chose the latter option and signed his first professional contract at age 17. Evra spent only one season with the club, appearing in 27 total matches and scoring six goals. After this, he moved to the Serie B level to join Monza for a €250,000 transfer fee after potential moves to Serie A clubs Roma and Lazio fell-through. Evra only appeared in three matches, making his debut on 29 August 1999 in a 2–1 away defeat against Alzano. He left the club following one season after becoming frustrated with his lack of appearances. Evra returned to France joining professional club Nice in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. He spent the majority of his first season with the club playing with its reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football. He primarily played as a midfielder on the team and appeared in 18 matches, scoring one goal. Midway through the campaign, he was called into the first team by manager Sandro Salvioni. He was assigned the number 26 shirt and made his club debut on 7 October 2000 in the team's 7–2 defeat to Châteauroux, starting in the left winger position. Evra made four more appearances during the campaign, appearing as a substitute in defeats to Cannes, Nancy and starting in the team's 3–0 win over Laval and 1–0 loss to Le Havre in the final match of the season. Evra played primarily as centre forward in the matches. In the 2001–02 season, Evra switched to the number 17 shirt and was promoted to the first team on a permanent basis. In the team's first league match of the season against Laval, he started in the team's 2–1 win. Towards the end of the match, reserve left-back Jean-Charles Cirilli, who was starting in place of the regular starter José Cobos, suffered an injury, which required the player to be substituted. As a consequence, Evra dropped back into the role and played out the rest of the match in the position. Following the match, due to injuries to both Cobos and Cirilli, Evra was informed by Salvioni he would take over the position. Evra made his debut in the position in the team's following league match against Strasbourg, a 3–0 defeat. He appeared regularly in the campaign and, following the return of Cobos, was even allowed to play in his preferred left wing role. With the club in the midst of a promotion battle, Evra scored his first and only goal for Nice in his last match with the club, a 4–3 win over Laval. The victory placed Nice in third place, which resulted in the club earning promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time since 1997. For his performances, Evra was named to the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Ligue 2 Team of the Year in the left-back position. Following the season, Evra was recruited by Nice's Derby de la Côte d'Azur rivals Monaco. Despite wanting to play as a left winger again, Evra was advised by manager Didier Deschamps he would only play as a left-back; Evra has since credited Deschamps for allowing him to become a better defender after initially describing the role as being "not fun". Evra was inserted into a back four that consisted of centre-backs Rafael Márquez and Sébastien Squillaci and right-back Franck Jurietti. Evra was assigned the number 3 shirt and made his debut for the club in the opening match of the 2002–03 season against Troyes. He played the entire match in a 4–0 win. On 28 September, Evra scored his first goal for the club, scoring the match-winner in a 2–1 victory against Rennes. On 22 March 2003, he scored his second goal of the season in a 3–0 away win over Le Havre. The victory allowed Monaco to maintain its position at the top of the table, as the club was in a three-way battle with Lyon and Marseille. Monaco climactically conceded first place to Lyon in May, which resulted in Lyon being declared champions for the second time in its history. Monaco finished the campaign in second place, which merited the club an appearance in the UEFA Champions League. The club was also rewarded domestically for its performance in the Coupe de la Ligue where it reached the final. Evra featured in the team's 4–1 win over Sochaux in the match. The league cup title gave Evra the first major honour of his career. After the season, Márquez and Jurietti departed Monaco for Spanish club Barcelona and Bordeaux respectively, and were replaced by Gaël Givet and Hugo Ibarra, the latter joining the club on loan. In the 2003–04 league season, Deschamps installed Evra as a vice-captain and he responded by appearing in 33 matches and providing four assists. Monaco spent six months from September to March in first place, but, like the previous season, conceded the top spot to Lyon as the season wore on. Evra made his UEFA Champions League debut on 17 September 2003 in the team's opening group stage match against PSV. Evra played the entire match in a 2–1 win. He appeared in all six group stage matches as Monaco finished in first place. For his performances in the first half of the 2003–04 season, Evra was linked with a 2004 winter move to English club Arsenal, Italian clubs Juventus and Milan, and Spanish club Barcelona. After appearing consistently with the team, on 24 March 2004, Evra suffered an ankle injury in the club's 4–2 first leg defeat to Spanish club Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Evra subsequently missed two weeks in the league, but was healthy enough to return for the team's second leg quarter-final tie against Madrid, which Monaco won 3–1. The win allowed the club advancement to the Champions League semi-finals on the away goals rule. In the semi-finals, Monaco faced English club Chelsea. Evra appeared in both matches as Monaco advanced to the final, beating the London club 5–3 on aggregate. In the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, Monaco were pitted against Porto at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The club was defeated 3–0 by Porto. Evra played the full 90 minutes. After the season, Evra was given the UNFP Young Player of the Year award, becoming only the second defender and the first since 1997 (Philippe Christanval) to win the award. He was also named to the organisation's Ligue 1 Team of the Year. Despite missing out on playing in UEFA Euro 2004, Evra endured a tumultuous summer in which the player was linked with moves to Manchester United in England, and Juventus and Internazionale in Italy. Despite offers, Evra remained at Monaco. On 24 September 2004, he signed a one-year contract extension with the club until 2008. In the season, Evra was a regular appearing in a career-high 52 matches scoring one goal and contributing seven assists as Monaco reached the semi-finals in both the Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France. Evra scored his only goal of the season on 8 January 2005 in the team's round of 64 Coupe de France match against amateur club AC Seyssinet-Pariset. He netted the opener in a 7–0 win. In the Champions League, Monaco reached the first knockout round, where they suffered defeat to PSV 3–0 on aggregate. Evra appeared in nine of the ten matches the team contested in the competition. In April 2005, Evra confirmed he was interested in departing the club, stating, "I will have a decision to make for the rest of my career... If attracted clubs show concrete interest, I will think about it seriously." Despite several clubs declaring interest in Evra, Deschamps declared he would not be sold. At the start of the 2005–06 season, Monaco struggled falling to 15th place after only a month of play. On 21 December 2005, Evra made his final appearance with the club in a 1–0 win over Lille in the Coupe de la Ligue. On 27 December, French sources revealed that Manchester United was interested in signing Evra. Despite rumours of Monaco reaching a transfer agreement with Internazionale, on 3 January 2006, Evra revealed he preferred to move to England to join Manchester United. The following day, Manchester United officially issued a transfer bid for the player. On 6 January, United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed a deal for Evra was reached. Four days later, the transfer was official as Evra joined the club for a transfer fee of around £5.5 million and signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. Evra's arrival signalled Ferguson's intention to shore up the club's defence that had suffered since the sidelining of Gabriel Heinze. After joining the club, Evra affirmed that Manchester was his only future destination: "I was not very keen to go forward in the talks with Arsenal, Liverpool or Real Madrid. They all talked with my agent in the past two seasons. But to me, it was over. As I said to the Monaco officials, I only wanted to hear about Manchester." Evra initially had some problems adapting to the English game. He made his debut for the club on 14 January in a 3–1 away defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League, and he was substituted at half-time after failing to make an impact. After the conclusion of the match, Ferguson stated, "Maybe it was a bit of a gamble playing Evra," while the player himself admitted that "playing for Manchester United was something I was not prepared for". Despite the initial set-back, Evra started in the team's ensuing match against Liverpool, a 1–0 victory, and was praised for his performance by teammate Rio Ferdinand. On 26 February, Evra appeared as a substitute in United's 4–0 win over Wigan Athletic in the 2006 League Cup final. On 2 March, it was reported that Liverpool defender Steve Finnan had racially abused Evra in the match. The abuse claims surfaced from two deaf television viewers lodging a police complaint. The viewers claimed to have lip-read Finnan abusing Evra during the televised match. Finnan denied the charge and, after an investigation, The Football Association (FA) decided against charging the player. Evra regularly alternated between the bench and the starting 11 to close out the campaign. He finished the season with 14 total appearances for his new club. In Evra's first full season as a Manchester United player, he struggled to consistently appear as a starter early on in the season as Ferguson preferred Evra's compatriot Mikaël Silvestre. After appearing as an unused substitute in United's first two Champions League matches, on 17 October 2006, Evra made his European debut for the club in its 3–0 group stage win over Copenhagen. On 18 November, he provided the assist for the game-winning goal, scored by Wayne Rooney, in the team's 2–1 win over Sheffield United. Eight days later, Evra scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 league win over Everton, also contributing an assist. By December, Evra began featuring as a regular in the starting 11. After starting in United's 3–1 Champions League win over Benfica on 6 December, Evra started nine consecutive matches. Evra provided assists in two of the matches; a Rooney goal in a 2–1 away defeat to Arsenal and another in a 2–0 victory over Charlton Athletic. On 10 April 2007, Evra scored the final goal in a 7–1 win over Roma in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League. The goal was his first-ever in the Champions League and helped progress Manchester United to the semi-finals, where the club suffered defeat to the eventual champions Milan. Following the league season, which Manchester United won by a six-point margin, Evra was named to the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Team of the Year, despite only appearing in 24 league matches. Evra began the 2007–08 season as the first-choice left-back. He began the campaign appearing in United's 3–0 penalty shoot-out win over rivals Chelsea in the 2007 FA Community Shield. In competitive matches, Evra appeared in the club's first 12 matches. He missed his first match of the season against Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League after suffering a calf injury during warm-ups. Evra returned to the team a few days later for the team's league match against Arsenal. The rest paid off as he assisted Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in the 82nd minute to give United a 2–1 lead. France teammate William Gallas later equalised for Arsenal to draw the match at 2–2. In the return match against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League, Evra provided the assist for one of the goals in a 4–0 victory. Though he made 48 appearances in all competitions, Evra failed to score a goal. Manchester United clinched its second consecutive Premier League title on the final day, edging Chelsea by two points. The club later completed a double after defeating the same club on penalties in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final. Evra made ten appearances in the competition, which included playing the entire 120 minutes in the final. After the season, on 12 June, he signed a four-year contract extension with Manchester United, a deal that was set to keep him at Old Trafford until 2012. Prior to the start of the 2008–09 season, on 18 July 2008, Evra was charged with four separate counts of improper conduct by the FA. The charges were related to an incident that occurred during the 2007–08 season when Evra had an altercation with a Chelsea groundsman during a warm-down following a match on 26 April. The defender denied the charges and was supported by several members of the club's staff, who commented that the player was racially abused by the groundsman prior to the confrontation. Evra remained free to play for United up to the date of the hearing despite the charges being made in July 2008. He began the campaign in similar fashion to the previous season as Manchester United won the Community Shield following the team's 3–0 victory over Portsmouth on penalties. Evra was ever-present in Manchester United's first 22 competitive matches of the season, starting 19 of them. At the hearing on 5 December, Evra was found guilty of improper conduct, and handed a four-match ban – due to start on 22 December 2008 – and a £15,000 fine. Despite the suspension, Evra still featured with Manchester United in December as the club participated in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. He appeared in both matches the team contested as United came out as champions after defeating Ecuadorian club LDU Quito in the final. Evra temporarily returned to the team domestically for its home match against Chelsea on 11 January 2009, assisting the second goal in a 3–0 victory. He was later forced to leave the match due to a foot injury, which was later discovered to be serious. Evra missed a month and returned to the line-up on 15 February in a 3–0 win over Fulham. Evra subsequently appeared in every remaining competitive match for United, excluding an April league match against Sunderland, as the club cruised to its third consecutive Premier League title, won the League Cup, and reached the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final after defeating league rivals Arsenal 4–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Following the second leg against Arsenal, Evra was asked his opinion of the team's 3–1 second leg victory, and declared, "It was 11 men against 11 babies. We never doubted ourselves." The final marked Evra's third appearance in Champions League finals as Manchester United lost 2–0 to Barcelona. At the end of the season, Evra was included in the PFA Team of the Year for the second time. For the first time in his career, Evra appeared in all 38 league matches in the 2009–10 season. The campaign initially began badly for him after he delivered a soft penalty shot, described by some in the media as "awful", in the team's penalty shoot-out defeat to Chelsea in the 2009 FA Community Shield. Due to injuries to Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, he captained the team in several matches during the season wearing the armband for the first time in his Manchester United career in the team's 3–1 Champions League victory over VfL Wolfsburg. In December 2009, Evra was among three Manchester United players named to the FIFPro World XI for the 2009 calendar year, before being named to the UEFA Team of the Year in January 2010. On 28 February 2010, Evra captained Manchester United to a 2–1 win against Aston Villa in the 2010 League Cup final. The league cup title was Evra's fourth overall as well as his first title earned as a captain. He also became only the second Frenchman after Eric Cantona to captain a Manchester United team to victory in a major competition. In league play, Manchester United failed to win its fourth-straight league title, conceding the honour to Chelsea. The club also failed to reach the Champions League final for their third-straight final appearance, losing to German champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Early on during the 2010–11 season, Evra was hampered by constant inquiries about what happened at the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the French Football Federation (FFF), the French media, as well as the French government. Evra's contract with Manchester United was also up at the end of the 2011–12 season, which led to the player being linked with a move to Real Madrid. Evra's hearing with the FFF in Paris, which he attended, was held the day after the team's opening 3–0 league win over Newcastle United. Evra played over 85 minutes in the match. On 20 November, Evra scored his second Premier League goal in a 2–0 win at home against Wigan Athletic. On 21 February 2011, after weeks of negotiations, Evra signed a contract extension with Manchester United that would keep him with the club until at least the end of the 2013–14 season. Two days after signing his contract extension, Evra participated in United's 0–0 draw with Marseille in the first leg of the team's first knockout round tie in the Champions League. The match, played at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, was Evra's first match played in France since the 2010 World Cup debacle. As a consequence, he was subjected to a barrage of jeers and boos every time he touched the ball. At the start of the 2011–12 season, Evra helped United win the 2011 Community Shield against Manchester City on 7 August. Despite being caught out in the first half by a header from Joleon Lescott and a long-range Edin Džeko strike that put City into a 2–0 lead, United rallied in the second half and won 3–2 to claim the Shield. On 15 October, Evra captained Manchester United in the club's 1–1 draw away to Liverpool. Following the match, in an interview with French television channel Canal+, Evra asserted that Liverpool player Luis Suárez had racially abused him multiple times during the match. He also stated that he had informed referee Andre Marriner of the incidents at the conclusion of the match. The following day, the FA announced it would investigate the claim, and on 17 November, the FA announced it would charge Suárez with "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour contrary to FA rules", including "a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race of Patrice Evra". During the 2012–13 season, despite being just 174 cm (5 ft 9 in) tall, Evra built up a reputation as an attacking threat at corners, doubling his goals tally from his previous seven years at the club with three headed goals from corners in the space of 13 games, against Newcastle United, Arsenal and Swansea City. He continued this run into the 2013–14 season, heading home against Cardiff City on 24 November 2013. In addition to the headers, Evra has also scored twice from open play since the start of the 2012–13 season, the first a low drive from just outside the penalty area against Newcastle on Boxing Day 2012, and the second a curling, right-footed effort against Stoke City in the fifth round of the League Cup almost a year later. On 23 May 2014, Evra signed a new one-year contract extension that would have kept him at Manchester United until at least the summer of 2015. On 21 July 2014, Evra joined Italian Serie A club Juventus on a two-year contract. The fee was £1.2 million, which rose to £1.5 million, after Juventus qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. On 14 December 2014, he scored his first goal for the club, opening the scoring of a 1–1 home draw to Sampdoria. On 6 June 2015, Evra started for Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final as Juventus were defeated 3–1 by Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion. The match was the fifth Champions League final in which he had appeared, and the defeat meant he became the first and only player to lose four Champions League finals. In addition, he becomes the first and only player to lose the final with three different clubs, and the first and only player to lose against the same opponent, Barcelona, on three occasions. Evra made his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance in a 1–0 home win over Manchester City on 25 November 2015, becoming the second French player to do so after Thierry Henry. Evra scored a goal in the last match of the 2015–16 Serie A season on 14 May 2016, in a 5–0 home win over Sampdoria, as Juventus celebrated winning the league title for a fifth consecutive time since the 2011–12 season. On 6 June 2016, Evra signed a one-year contract extension with Juventus; the deal included an option for a further extension of one year. On 25 January 2017, Evra joined Marseille on a free transfer, signing an 18-month contract with the club. On 7 May 2017, he scored his only goal for Marseille in a 2–1 win over his former club Nice. In the warm-up preceding a Europa League match on 2 November 2017, Evra was sent off for kicking a spectating Marseille fan in the head, who was reportedly "ridiculing" him as he trained. Marseille coach Rudi Garcia was critical of the fans, but also criticized Evra for reacting to the provocation. On 3 November, the day after Evra's altercation with a fan, he was suspended from playing indefinitely by Marseille, pending an interview with the player regarding his conduct and further investigation before any other sanctions are imposed on him. Marseille released a statement concerning the incident, condemning Evra's actions. He also received a charge of violent conduct from UEFA as a consequence. Evra also received a UEFA ban that made him ineligible to play in any UEFA competitions until June 2018. Marseille subsequently terminated Evra's contract with immediate effect. On 7 February 2018, West Ham United signed Evra on a free transfer. He signed a contract until the end of June 2018. He made his debut against Liverpool on 24 February. Evra departed West Ham United when his contract expired at the end of the season, having made five appearances for the club. Evra remained a free agent for a year before finally announcing his retirement from professional football in July 2019. In a bid to build fitness ahead of Soccer Aid 2020, Evra made a one-off appearance for Middlesex County League Premier Division club Brentham in a 3–2 friendly defeat to North Greenford United on 29 August 2020. Evra is a former French youth international having played for the under-21 team. Due to harboring in Italy during his development years, he failed to earn call-ups with teams below the under-21 level. Evra earned his first call-up to the under-21 team under coach Raymond Domenech on 3 October 2002 for matches against Slovenia and Malta. He made his under-21 debut in the match against Slovenia as France cruised to a 1–0 victory. Evra was forced to miss the match against Malta after suffering an injury in the win over Slovenia. The defender regularly appeared for the team through 2002–2004 as France attempted to qualify for both the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and the football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics. France failed to qualify for both competitions, which resulted in the end of Evra's youth career. Evra earned his first call-up to the senior national team in May 2004 after coach Jacques Santini named him to the 31-man preliminary squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2004. Following the trimming of the squad to 23 players, Evra was not included and subsequently missed out on the competition. Following the European Championship, with former under-21 coach Domenech now coaching the team, Evra was called up to the senior team for its friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 August 2004. The defender admitted that he was "very proud" to have been called up to the team. Evra made his senior international debut in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He started on the left wing before being substituted in the 75th minute for Robert Pires. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. Due to an injury to starter Eric Abidal, Evra supplanted him and appeared as the starting left-back in France's first two 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. After being called up for the team's March 2005 friendly against Switzerland, Evra was forced to withdraw from the team due to injury. As a result, William Gallas was inserted in the role as a makeshift left-back. Following Abidal's return from injury and, due to Domenech preferring Mikaël Silvestre as the incumbent's back-up, Evra went without a call-up for almost two years and, consequently, missed the 2006 World Cup. In October 2007, the defender explained to L'Équipe that the World Cup snub "gave me my determination". Evra returned to the team in November 2006 for the team's friendly match against Greece. He appeared as a half-time substitute for Abidal as France won the match 1–0. After going another year without representing France, Evra began appearing as a regular under Domenech in 2007. On 28 May 2008, he was included in the squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2008. He was initially placed onto the squad to serve as back-up to Abidal, however after failing to appear in the team's opening 0–0 draw with Romania, there were calls from the French media urging Domenech to insert Evra into the starting line-up at the behest of Abidal. Domenech relented and started Evra in the team's next match against the Netherlands, which ended in a 4–1 defeat. In the must-win final group stage match against Italy, Evra started his second consecutive match, but France lost 2–0 and were eliminated from the competition in the first round. Following the match, cameras witnessed Evra and teammates Patrick Vieira and Abidal getting into an altercation in the tunnel. Vieira later stated the video was shot after he got into an argument with a set of French supporters. A day after the team's elimination, Evra admitted his frustration to L'Équipe, stating, "I am someone who does not like losing but I'm not going to make excuses. We had three games in this Euro, we have not won one. It's even hard to believe, to say it's over now." After Euro 2008, defensive stalwart Lilian Thuram retired from the team. To mitigate his absence, Domenech moved Abidal into the centre-back position, allowing Evra to take over as starting left-back. In the team's first competitive match since Euro 2008, against Austria, Evra provided the assist for France's only goal scored by Sidney Govou in a surprising 3–1 defeat. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Evra participated in ten of the team's 12 matches, which included both legs in the team's playoff round win over the Republic of Ireland. On 26 May 2010, Evra captained the national team for the first time in a friendly match against Costa Rica; France won the match 2–1. He was subsequently named the captain for the 2010 World Cup ahead of Thierry Henry, who was relegated to the bench for the tournament. Evra wore the armband in the team's first two matches, a 0–0 draw with Uruguay and a 2–0 loss to Mexico. On 19 June 2010, striker Nicolas Anelka was dismissed from the squad after reportedly having a dispute, in which obscenities were passed, with Domenech during half-time of the team's loss to Mexico. The resulting disagreement over Anelka's exclusion between the players, the coaching staff and France Football Federation (FFF) officials resulted in Evra leading a player protest against the decision on 20 June, in which the players refused to train. Prior to leading the revolt, Evra had got into a verbal argument with national team fitness coach Robert Duverne. The strike was denounced by the FFF as well as French government officials. The following day, the players returned to training without incident. As a result of the mutiny, Evra was stripped of the captaincy and benched for the team's final group stage match against hosts South Africa. France lost 2–1 and were eliminated from the competition. Following the competition, former national team captain Lilian Thuram stated that Evra should be banned permanently from playing for the national team. His sentiments were later echoed by Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno, who declared, "I have nothing against Evra but, as a France player and especially captain, he did not defend the values of sport which are shared by the Republic. I am sure there exist other talents who have not sullied France and are waiting for the chance to write new history". On 6 August, Evra was one of five players summoned to attend a hearing held by the Disciplinary Committee of the FFF in response to the team's strike at the World Cup. On 17 August, he received a five-match international ban for his part in the incident. As a result of being captain, Evra bore the brunt of the criticism. However, despite the public ridicule, Evra maintained his stance regarding his future with the national team, stating, "I can't see my future without the France team." On 17 March 2011, he was called up to the national team by new manager Laurent Blanc for the first time since the 2010 World Cup. He had been eligible to return to the team since the previous month after serving his five-match suspension, however he was not called up to the team by Blanc, with the manager citing "sporting reasons" as the reason. Evra made his return to the team on 25 March in the team's Euro 2012 qualifying match against Luxembourg. He started the match and played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 win. Four days later, Evra appeared on the bench in his first match at the Stade de France since the World Cup, against Croatia. After appearing regularly in qualifying for Euro 2012, on 29 May 2012, he was named to the 23-man squad to participate in the finals of the competition. France were eliminated in the quarter-finals following a 2–0 defeat against eventual champions Spain. Evra played four of France's five matches at the 2014 World Cup, in which they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions Germany. In May 2016, Evra was named in Didier Deschamps's 23-man France squad for Euro 2016, to be played on home soil. On 10 June, he was later included in the starting line-up for France's opening match of the tournament against Romania, playing the entire 90 minutes of the fixture. With France leading 1–0, Evra fouled Nicușor Stanciu in the penalty box; Bogdan Stancu scored the resulting penalty in the 65th minute. The hosts eventually won the match 2–1, although Evra was later criticised for his performance. In the semi-final against Germany on 7 July, Evra drew praise from the media as he helped win a penalty for his team and produced a strong defensive performance to help France keep a clean-sheet and defeat the reigning world champions 2–0 to advance to the final of the competition. Following the victory, he was also lauded for his leadership and his role in using his experience to unite the team. In the final, France suffered a 1–0 extra-time defeat to Portugal. Regarded as one of the best players in the world in his position during his prime, due to his ability to help out at both ends of the pitch, Evra is a fast, energetic and athletic left-back, with good acceleration, who, despite his size, is physically strong, and good in the air, which also allows him to be deployed as a centre-back on occasion; in addition to his physical attributes, he is also a technical player, with good vision, who is comfortable on the ball and adept at getting into attacking positions as a wing-back, where he can deliver crosses to teammates, having functioned as a winger earlier on in his career. An aggressive, tactically intelligent, versatile and hard-working player, he is also renowned for his leadership and tenacity on the pitch. These attributes make him effective both offensively and defensively. Evra was born in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal. His father was a Senegalese national of Guinean ancestry, while his mother, Juliette, was a Cape Verdean (Mixed Portuguese and African) national. His father divorced three times and had 24 children; as of 2007, two of these children are deceased. One of his brothers, Mamadou, changed his name to Claude in order to get a job in France. Evra was raised in Catholicism and has said that his father held anti-Muslim views. Evra's father was a diplomat and, when Evra was a year old, moved to Brussels in Belgium to work at the Senegalese embassy. After over two years living in Belgium, when Evra was three, the family moved to France and settled in Les Ulis, a commune south of Paris. The family first settled in the local Bergeries neighbourhood before moving to the Hautes Plaines quarter shortly after. Evra was raised on Senegalese culture and values that quickly became "Westernised". At age 10, he returned to Senegal for a short period, describing the return as "not a good experience" primarily because he ventured back to the country to undergo circumcision. He had not returned to the country as of 2011. Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, Evra revealed he had suffered abuse from supporters of the Senegal national team for choosing to represent France internationally over his country of birth. Evra earned good marks in school. He is married to Sandra with whom he has a son, Lenny and a daughter, Maona. As of 2020, Evra and his wife are separated and he is engaged to Danish model Margaux Alexandra. Evra speaks six languages: his native French, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean. He is allergic to eggs, a condition which he did not discover until an examination by Juventus. He participated in the Shoot for Love Challenge raising vital funds for children suffering from cancer, organised by the Guus Hiddink Foundation. In March 2019, Evra denied making homophobic comments against Paris Saint-Germain. In January 2022, he spoke about homosexuality in football, where he said that many teammates, who rejected the idea of having a gay teammate, distanced themselves from him, due to his position of accepting gay players. Evra concluded, saying that he had friendships with players who were gay but that were afraid of coming out publicly. Evra was a pundit on ITV for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In September 2019, he returned to Manchester United as a trainee coach while completing his professional coaching badges. He spent time with the club's Academy coaching staff for a period. Evra announced his autobiography, I Love This Game, in 2021. In October 2021, he alleged that he was sexually abused by a teacher when he was 13. He said that he was interviewed by police at the age of 24 in regards to the abuse, however, he denied it. Evra was a participant on the BBC's Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof in 2022. In February 2023, Evra was convicted, fined and ordered to pay compensation to two anti-hate campaigns by a Parisian court, for the homophobic remarks he made in the video from 2019. In May 2023, Evra was part of the MYFC consortium that bought Portuguese club C.F. Estrela da Amadora. The team won promotion to the Primeira Liga via the playoffs days later. In July 2024, Evra has been found guilty by a french court of abandoning his wife and their two children and handed a suspended 12-month prison sentence. He also owes over £800k in unpaid alimony. Sources: Source: Appearances and goals by national team and year Monaco Coupe de la Ligue: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2003–04 Manchester United Premier League: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13 Football League Cup: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10 FA Community Shield: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013 UEFA Champions League: 2007–08; runner-up: 2008–09, 2010–11 FIFA Club World Cup: 2008 Juventus Serie A: 2014–15, 2015–16 Coppa Italia: 2014–15, 2015–16 Supercoppa Italiana: 2015 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2014–15 Individual UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2003–04 UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2003–04 PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10 FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2009 UEFA Team of the Year: 2009 List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances Patrice Evra at FootballDatabase.eu Patrice Evra at National-Football-Teams.com Patrice Evra at Soccerbase Patrice Evra at Soccerway Patrice Evra at StretfordEnd.co.uk Patrice Evra at WorldFootball.net Patrice Evra at L'Équipe Football (in French) Patrice Evra – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French Patrice Evra – UEFA competition record (archived) Patrice Evra – FIFA competition record (archived)

4. Jean-Pierre Adams (1948 - 2021)

With an HPI of 53.30, Jean-Pierre Adams is the 4th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Jean-Pierre Adams (10 March 1948 – 6 September 2021) was a French professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He was capped 22 times for France in the 1970s, and at club level, he played Division 1 football for Nîmes, Nice and Paris Saint-Germain. From March 1982 until his death in September 2021, he was in a coma as a result of mistakes made during a hospital operation.

5. Souleymane Sané (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 52.10, Souleymane Sané is the 5th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Souleymane Jean Sané (born 26 February 1961) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the father of Germany forward Leroy Sané.

6. Aliou Cissé (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 49.60, Aliou Cissé is the 6th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Aliou Cissé (born 24 March 1976) is a Senegalese professional football coach and former player who is the manager of the Senegal national team. Cissé is best known for captaining the Senegal team which reached the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations Final and for being the first Senegal manager to win the tournament in 2022 after reaching the final in 2019. Having begun his career in France, he later played for English clubs Birmingham City and Portsmouth. Cissé was a defensive midfielder who also, on occasion, played at centre-back. Cissé has been the head coach of Senegal since 2015, having briefly taken charge of them following Amara Traoré's sacking, in a caretaker role in 2012. He was also the assistant coach of the under-23 side from 2012 to 2013, becoming head coach from 2013 to 2015.

7. Papa Bouba Diop (1978 - 2020)

With an HPI of 49.42, Papa Bouba Diop is the 7th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Papa Bouba Diop (28 January 1978 – 29 November 2020) was a Senegalese professional footballer. His preferred position was as a defensive midfielder, but he could also play as a centre-back, where he played at Lens. Diop was considered a physically strong and aggressive player. His playing style, position, and ability drew comparisons to former France holding midfielder Patrick Vieira. Diop spent much of his career in England, where fans nicknamed him "The Wardrobe" for his stature. He played Premier League football for Fulham and Portsmouth, and won the FA Cup with the latter club in 2008. He also played top-flight football in Switzerland for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers, in France for Lens and in Greece for AEK Athens. Diop's second of a total of 11 international goals for Senegal came in a 1–0 victory over then-world champions France in the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, in Senegal's first match at the FIFA World Cup. He also played at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing as runners-up in 2002.

8. El Hadji Diouf (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 47.56, El Hadji Diouf is the 8th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (French pronunciation: [ɛ.ladʒ.dʒuf]; born 15 January 1981) is a Senegalese former professional footballer. Throughout his career, Diouf played as a winger or a forward. Having started his professional football career in France with Sochaux, Rennes and Lens, Diouf finalised a move to Premier League side Liverpool prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup for Senegal and went on to have a memorable tournament. He has also played in England's top flight for Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers before a stint in the Scottish Premier League with Rangers. In 2011, he joined Football League Championship side Doncaster Rovers but was released at the end of the 2011–12 season following the club's relegation. He then moved to Leeds United where he spent two seasons. During his nine-year international career, he scored 21 goals in 69 caps, and also garnered considerable notoriety for a series of controversial incidents.

9. Ibrahim Ba (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 47.40, Ibrahim Ba is the 9th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Ibrahim Ba (born 12 January 1973) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder. Starting off his career with Le Havre in France in the early 1990s, he went on to represent clubs in Italy, England, Turkey, and Sweden before retiring at A.C. Milan in 2008. A full international between 1997 and 1998, he won eight caps for the France national team and scored two goals.

10. Guirane N'Daw (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 46.49, Guirane N'Daw is the 10th most famous Senegalese Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Guirane N'Daw is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He played for Sochaux, Nantes, Saint-Étienne, and Lens in France, for Zaragoza in Spain, for Birmingham City and Ipswich Town in England, and for Asteras Tripolis in Greece.

People

Pantheon has 90 people classified as Senegalese soccer players born between 1948 and 2002. Of these 90, 87 (96.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Senegalese soccer players include Patrick Vieira, Sadio Mané, and Patrice Evra. The most famous deceased Senegalese soccer players include Jean-Pierre Adams, Papa Bouba Diop, and Jules Bocandé. As of April 2024, 15 new Senegalese soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Souleymane Sané, Jules Bocandé, and Nicolas Jackson.