2022 World Cup Under the Radar Players: Senegal
Learning from the Best
There’s no doubt that Sadio Mane is Senegal’s top player. He serves as an inspiration to youngsters as he has won it all. That includes Abdou Diallo, who I considered Senegal’s under-the-radar player.
Why? Well, first of all, he’s 26 years old but already played for three major European clubs. Second of all, he knows what it’s like to win titles, both at the club and national level. Finally, he’s a born leader. Plus, you know what they say, offense wins games, defense wins championships. If the Lions of Teranga want to succeed in soccer’s grandest stage, they must become a balanced team. They aren’t among the soccer betting online favorites to dethrone France but with players like Mane and Diallo, it wouldn’t be wise to underestimate them.
Club Career
Abdou Diallo joined AS Monaco’s youth academy at age 15. Considering the Monegasques are a French powerhouse, that was an extraordinary move. He quickly impressed the coaching staff, which allowed him to sign his first professional contract in 2014. In his first Ligue 1 season, he ended up playing in five games.
The following campaign, he played for Zulte Waregem (Belgian Pro League) on a loan. He appeared in 35 games in all competitions and scored three goals. Later, several clubs knocked on his door, but he decided to return to Monaco, contributing to the team to win the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 17 years.
Looking for more minutes on the field, he moved to Germany to play for Mainz 05, a team whose main objective is not to be relegated from the Bundesliga. He got what he wanted as he played in 30 games and scored three goals. That was more than enough for Borussia Dortmund to set eyes on him.
The Black and Yellows gave him the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League. Overall, he played in 38 games, most in his career, and scored one goal.
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After two seasons in the Bundesliga, Diallo returned to France but did not play for Monaco. He signed with PSG, the most successful club in the country. In three seasons, he has played in 75 games, but he hasn’t scored.
With the Parisians, he has won it all, including two Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France titles. Also, the Coupe de la Ligue once and the Trophee des Champions three times. Regarding the UCL, they finished as the runners-up in 2019-20.
With the Lions of Teranga
Abdou Diallo and brother Ibrahima were born in Tours, France, which gave them the option to choose whether to play for Les Bleus or Senegal. Clearly, Abdou chose to play for Senegal, while Ibrahima chose France. Abdou played for many youth teams in France, he even captained France’s U-21 squad, but at a senior level, Senegal offered him more opportunities.
He made his debut with the Lions of Teranga in March 2021. Little less than a year later, he had already earned a spot in the starting lineup. He was crucial for them to win the latest edition of the African Cup of Nations. He even scored a goal in the Semifinals against Burkina Faso, which they ended up winning 3-1. In the Grand Finale, they drew 0-0 to Egypt and won the penalty shootout 4-2. That means the defensive unit managed to contain Mohamed Salah.
On the road to world cup soccer 2022, Senegal finished with a 7-0-1 record, 16 goals for, and five against. In the third and final round, they defeated Egypt, again in penalties, to secure their ticket.
Senegal in the 2022 World Cup
Diallo and the Lions of Teranga will face Netherlands, Ecuador, and Qatar in Group A. As expected, the European side dominates the soccer lines to win it at -250. Senegal comes next thanks to a +450 price.
Regarding the title, the Lions of Teranga are offering a +8000 price to win it. Considering no African team has won the world cup odds, that’s not bad, not bad at all.
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