The feel-good story of this 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. At just 20 years old, Mamadou Sarr took advantage of captain Kalidou Koulibaly's suspension to earn a starting spot in the final against Morocco. And it's safe to say that the son of Pape Sarr, a legend of Senegalese football, rose to the occasion. A look inside the Strasbourg player's mind to relive every moment of this match, which has already earned its place in the pantheon of international football.

“Did I expect to play in this final? Not really. Sure, I came on in the semi-final in place of Kalidou Koulibaly, but during the group stage, it was Abdoulaye Seck who played, and I didn't know the pecking order. In the semi-final, the coach chose me, I came on, I had a good game, and we qualified for the final. And if the coach played me, it's because he had his reasons.”

"You think a lot about the final, you think of nothing else even"

From Wednesday evening onwards, after the Egypt match, I calmly prepared for the final, just like any other game, even though it was a final. There was a bit of stress, of course, because I entered the tournament quite late. Since I was on the bench, it's true that the level of concentration wasn't the same as for a starter, but I always told myself, "You never know." I paid attention to every match, telling myself that if I came on, I had to be ready. And that's what happened, thank God. From Wednesday evening to Saturday morning, I was exactly the same. I didn't change my diet or my sleep schedule. I had a good rhythm throughout the competition and I maintained it. Obviously, the stress wasn't the same, because you think a lot about the final, you think about nothing else. But I assure you, I had no trouble falling asleep. I managed my nights easily.

"As if it were a Ligue 1 match, a French Cup match"

I made myself a promise: not to spend too much time on social media. I didn't pay attention to what was being said. I received messages from friends, but beyond that, I didn't really look at anything else. I didn't want to change anything about my daily routine during the competition. I didn't talk to anyone on the phone, I didn't ask anyone for advice. For me, it was just a match, and I had to do well. Just like it was a Ligue 1 or Coupe de France match. I told myself, "If I'm here, it's because I deserve it, and if the coach is calling on me, it's because he's right." My father has also been through this; he played in an Africa Cup of Nations final, in 2002. I exchanged text messages with him, but we didn't talk about the final, only about personal matters. He knew that if we started talking too much about the match, the stress would build up. My hairdresser, who is a friend of mine, and my brother were with me at the hotel. We talked, we played on the PlayStation, like before a normal match.

"I changed that habit because I was really hungry."

When I was alone, I was thinking a lot about the match. Yes, I was playing out all the scenarios in my head, thinking, "Imagine we get thrashed, imagine we win 5-0…" All the possible scenarios. But I didn't think, "Imagine we lose because of me." If you start thinking like that, you become a defeatist, and I can't do that. On the morning of the match, I went to have breakfast, something I very rarely do when the match is in the evening. When I came downstairs, Sadio (Mané) and Gana (Gueye) were there, relaxing. Sadio looked at me and said, "No stress, bro." I broke with that habit because I was really hungry. Maybe I'd gone to bed too early the night before, or eaten too early the night before, I don't know, but I was starving. So I went to breakfast. Sadio teased me, saying, "Ah, Mamad, you're coming down now!"

"Moussa Niakhaté came to see me and told me that Krépin was unwell."

On match day, the stress started building more and more. Honestly, it was eating me up inside! But when I went out for the warm-up, the stress subsided. No, the pre-match atmosphere had absolutely no impact on my preparation; I didn't pay any attention to what was being said. These things happen. The team and I decided we wouldn't make any excuses. We were focused on the trophy. We weren't going to lose the final because of security, were we? On the bus and at the stadium, I was still listening to the same music: Gunna, Ninho, Tiakola—I didn't change my habits. And no, I hadn't seen Krépin (Diatta) collapse. I didn't even know he'd collapsed. Once in the locker room, Moussa Niakhaté came to see me and told me Krépin was unwell. He said, "Antoine (Mendy) will probably play in his place." Even then, I remained calm, I said: "These things happen, we mustn't let ourselves get distracted."

"If I'm here, it's because I have the level to perform, and that's all there is to it."

During the pitch inspection, we saw the pitch and the stadium firmly in Morocco's camp, complete with boos. And from that point on, the stress started to subside. As soon as I saw the pitch, I remembered it was just a football match. I told myself it would unfold like a normal game: a pass is a pass, a shot is a shot, a cross is a cross. The only difference would be the outcome, but that was all. It's true, I was preparing to play the most important match of my young career; I was replacing the captain, an iconic player for the national team. But I didn't pay attention to that. If I'm there, it's because I have the ability to perform, and that's all there is to it. In the locker room, I was next to Moussa Niakhaté and El Hadji Malick Diouf. Moussa took me aside and said, "Take it easy today!" "If it's tense, you just go for the ball, and if not, you do what you know how." Then Kouli (Kalidou Koulibaly) came to me and said, "Everyone's going to come and talk to you because it's an important match, but just play your game, you have the qualities. If you're here, it's because you're good enough." The coach? He didn't say a word to me.

"When the referee consults VAR, we are all shocked."

When the match started, I felt completely relaxed, even though I knew there was something at stake. The more the minutes passed, the more I got into the game. From the very first touches, you have to be focused, like in every match, I'd say. I gradually built up my intensity. Yes, the referee wasn't calling our calls, but I stayed calm, the team did too, there was no frustration. During the match, we created some great chances, and with each miss, I thought, "Oh no!" But we quickly got back into it, telling ourselves: if it doesn't go in now, it will later. When we scored, I thought, "That's it, it's definitely a goal." Then I saw that it wasn't. After that, I thought he was going to check VAR, but not at all. Since he had already blown his whistle, there was nothing we could do. Then, a penalty for Morocco. Crazy moment! To be honest, I didn't even know there was a penalty; I didn't see anything because the play happened behind me. I said to Malick Diouf, "What's going on?" He replied, "I don't know, I touched him a little, but he went down." I said, "No way, swear?!" When the referee went to check VAR, we were all shocked. A fight broke out on the sidelines, and the match was essentially stopped. The coach told us to go back to the locker room, so we went. Then Sadio and the coach told us to come back out. So we went back out.

"Before the penalty, I prayed very hard that he would miss."

At that moment, my head was spinning, just like everyone else's. You think to yourself: AFCON final, we're leaving the pitch. This whole thing was completely unnecessary. But hey, I think we made a mistake, everyone makes mistakes in life. We'll learn from it. Meanwhile, there's a fight between our fans and the stewards. I see it from a distance because I'm nearsighted, so I don't really understand what's going on. I don't pay much attention. I'm focused on the penalty and the fact that we're potentially going to lose the trophy to Morocco. When I see him attempt a Panenka and miss, it's just INSANE! Before the penalty, I'm praying really hard that he'll miss. After he misses, we don't even react because we're in shock. We go from having to go back to our club without a medal, without a celebration, without a trophy, to just staying alive. The match continues with the possibility of winning the AFCON still alive. It's unbelievable. If we didn't react after the missed opportunity, it's really because of the shock. The emotional impact was so intense. I've rarely felt anything like it in my life; it's indescribable. We went from one extreme to the other just like that, and the referee blows the final whistle. Absolutely crazy.

"In my mind, I'm a soldier, I'm going to war, into the trenches, just like in the old days."

During extra time, everything changed psychologically; we went back into warrior mode. The Moroccans went from thinking, "We've won the AFCON we've been waiting for for 50 years in our country," to "We have to play another 30 minutes and work hard." I don't think they had the mental fortitude to play another 30 minutes. Especially since it's difficult to create chances during an AFCON. Right at the start of extra time, we opened the scoring thanks to Pape Gueye.

That goal was divine. At the start of the play, I didn't even see what was happening, I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't see anything coming, and then… goal! I said, "No way, this is crazy, we scored?" That moment was magnificent, absolutely indescribable. When Igamane got injured, we didn't realize Morocco was going to finish with 10 men. We didn't pay attention; we only understood at halftime of extra time when the coach told us. In the euphoria, we didn't grasp anything. We were leading, and me, at the back, I was even more determined. My mind was: they can't even have a chance. They can't even approach our penalty area. I'm defending my country. In my head, I'm a soldier, going to war, into the trenches, like in the old days. At the end of the match, Chérif Ndiaye missed a huge opportunity. In my head, I was thinking, "Ooh, we can't afford to regret this." But like I was saying, we're a team, I was like, "Never mind, we'll settle things at the end." Morocco also had a great chance, Nayef Aguerd hit the bar from a corner. We were defending zonally, I don't know if I'm responsible for that one (laughs). That shot off the bar gave us a real scare. The ball came back out too, with a bit of a scramble. And we managed to clear it.

"This whole towel thing, I didn't see anything, it was behind my back."

When the match ended, I won the second trophy of my young career, after the Club World Cup with Chelsea last summer. But it's true that this one had a different feel; it was with my country, an Africa Cup of Nations, and I was a starter in the final. During the ceremony, the stadium emptied, but you don't realize there's no one in the stands. I was on the phone with my family, we were happy. Anyway, what I can tell you is that it was really cold with the rain (laughs). You really realize things when you go back home, with that magnificent parade through the streets of Dakar. It was powerful. Overall, the whole match went well. The only slight altercation was the towel incident. But I don't think Hakimi did it on purpose. In any case, I didn't see anything about the towel; it was behind my back. I was too focused on my game. I saw the videos on social media, I was shocked (laughs). Yes, I'm aware that this match will go down in history, we stopped the match, it's unprecedented.