"Il sera bientôt une bombe atomique": Ibrahim Mbaye, le "supersub" sénégalais
Ibrahim Mbaye, a Parisian native trained at PSG and having gone through the youth selections of the French national team, is now, at 17, making Senegal happy with decisive appearances during the AFCON-2025, before the round of 16 against Sudan on Saturday.
In 2023, "there was the discovery of Lamine Camara who had a really excellent AFCON... Let's hope Ibrahim will do the same," said coach Pape Thiaw on Friday, adding: "He plays parts of matches, every time he comes on he gives his best, we know he has talent, that's why we went and got him."
Mbaye, who joined the team in October, twice rescued the Lions of Teranga from a difficult situation during the tournament.
During the second group match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were leading 1-0, it was one of his runs, repelled by the Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, that led to Sadio Mané's equalizer on the resumption of play.
Mané, 33, star of the national team and idol of Mbaye, offered his compliments after the match: "At 17, at this level, I think it's impressive. He has a bright future ahead of him, he's an exceptional player."
- Flaming Leumbeul -
Mbaye did not get carried away. Coming on as a substitute at half-time during the last group match against Benin, he repeated his incursion into the defense, provoking a penalty converted by Cherif Ndiaye which increased the score (3-0).
Having already come on for the last 20 minutes of the match against Botswana (3-0), Mbaye then became the youngest Senegalese to play in an Africa Cup, at 17 years and 10 months.
He quickly became a fan favorite. And a favorite of his teammates too, from the very first gathering he participated in in November, by shining with his Leumbeul, a traditional Wolof dance, which provoked hilarity among his partners and a "buzz" on social media.
Mbaye's decision, born in Trappes in the Parisian suburbs and who represented France from U16 to U20, to join the Lions, at the very moment he is shining in the jersey of Luis Enrique's Paris SG, was surprising. It was, however, a carefully considered one.
According to those close to him, there were never any debates in the young winger's mind. Proud of his origins and attached to his name, "Ibrahim wanted to play for Senegal," explained Pape Thiaw, who manages to attract many young dual nationals without necessarily implementing a policy for this purpose, unlike the Moroccan Federation.
- "Prodigious speed" -
The fact that the Africa Cup of Nations is held every four years should further accentuate the trend, with major European clubs becoming less hesitant to sign a player they will have more often, a coach present in Morocco told AFP.
This is the case for PSG, who must therefore currently do without Ibrahim Mbaye, who had a remarkable start to the season: 14 matches played in all competitions, seven starts, a goal against Rennes at the Parc des Princes on December 6.
Having provided two assists against Metz the following week, just before joining his national team, "Mbaye appeared more liberated in his game. He felt comfortable and took remarkable initiatives," his coach, Luis Enrique, who does not hesitate to launch his young talents with great success, rejoiced at the time.
"He has prodigious speed, he will soon be an atomic bomb," Pierre-Yves Bodineau, his former coach at the pre-training center where he followed the promising kids born between 2005 and 2009, predicted to AFP in October, conceding however that "he still needs a few matches to fully find his feet."
Exactly what happened to Ibrahim Mbaye, a Parisian youth player, a Senegalese "super sub".
Commentaires (17)
Il faut savoir mesurer ses mots.Je me souviens du journal Français qui disait:"la muraille Pape Bouba Diop''.
Yalna Yallah samm gneup ci barké aouzoubi kalimati Lahi at tammati mine charri MAA khalakha
Je crois également que CHEIKHOU SABALY EST UN PEU SUR LE MEME REGISTRE. LUI ME RAPPELLE JEREMY DOKU, LE PETIT AILIER DE MAN CITY ET DE LA BELIQUE, PERCUTANT, PROVOCATEUR ET SANS PEUR.
Je ne sais pas si nous gagnerons 1 trophée, mais le Sénégal dispose certainement de l'1 des 10 meilleurs effectifs au monde. Et Ancelotti lui-même l'a dit avant notre match contre le Brésil "LE SENEGAL N'EST PAS SEULEMENT 1 BONNE EQUIPE, C'EST 1 TRES GRANDE EQUIPE, SI VOUS REGARDEZ SON EFFECTIF".
L’ancienne envoyée spéciale du Haut-Commissariat pour les réfugiés, venue accompagnée d’une délégation américaine, s’est entretenue avec des membres du Croissant-Rouge et des chauffeurs de camions humanitaires.
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter ou TikTok pour l'afficher automatiquement.