"OUR VICTORY OVER FRANCE IN 2002 WAS A WIN FOR EVERY COUNTRY THAT HAS EVER BEEN COLONISED"

The Senegalese ball-winner on toppling Henry & Co in Seoul, their gutting golden-goal loss against Turkey and how his move to Liverpool happened

- Interview Andy Greeves

You started in Senegal’s famous 1-0 victory over France in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup. What was the vibe in the dressing room going into that game?

When the draw happened, everyone wanted Senegal-France and that’s what came out. All across the world, people watched that game - a small footballing nation up against the reigning world and European champions. When we looked at the France squad, we saw friends, not World Cup winners. I'd played with Fabien Barthez, Emmanuel Petit, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet at Monaco - they were my generation in the academy - and Patrick Vieira was one of my best friends. We were always competitive when we played each other. I remember my coach talking to me about Vieira before the game. He said, “Vieira is your friend but don’t let him do anything. He’s your responsibility, you do whatever you need to do to stop him.” Throughout those years going into the tournament, we had supreme confidence. When we played for Senegal, it wasn’t a match for us, it was a war. That was the mentality.

How did you and your teammates pull off such a famous victory?

We had a coach in Bruno Metsu who was maybe 10 years ahead of his time. He brought simplicity to management and was a true man-manager. He didn’t try to change the African mentality. He gave us responsibility to go and perform. We had this ridiculous story in the news about Khalilou Fadiga before our first game - he was accused of stealing from a jewellery shop in Daegu. I remember the manager saying, “Only one thing can change all of this nonsense, and that is we do something big. That something big is to beat France.” He said, “Your friends need you, your country needs you - you have to win this game.”

How big an impact did that victory have back in Senegal?