If pride could be personified it would look something like Cheikhou Kouyaté talking about Senegal’s achievements in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite ultimately losing 1-0 to Algeria in the final, Kouyaté can’t help but smile at what the side he captained did for his homeland.
He begins: “My summer was so busy at the Africa Cup of Nations; it was special for me, my teammates and all Senegalese people.
“We were unlucky in the final. We deserved more but we did everything we could to win this for the Senegalese people.
“We thank God for helping us make it there and you never know, maybe next time. But overall it was a great experience.
“The celebration of reaching the final helped the country all focus on one goal, just one team; everybody was in peace.”