World Cup star quickly announces he’s retiring and won’t come back until the current manager is replaced.
A World Cup star quickly announced he won’t play for his country again while the current coach is in charge, surprising fans on social media.
Senegal made it to the round of 32 as the last third-place team and faced Belgium in the first knockout match.
Pape Thiaw’s team was doing great at Lumen Field in Seattle, leading 2-0 with goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.
But Belgium came back late, with Romelu Lukaku scoring in the 86th minute and Youri Tielemans equalizing just before stoppage time.
Tielemans then scored the winner in extra time by calmly converting a penalty after a VAR review showed he was fouled.
Belgium moved on to face the USA in the round of 16, while Senegal’s journey ended.
Right after the loss, Senegal’s team was shaken when one player said he’s done with the national team while Thiaw and his staff remain.
Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye shared a surprising message, saying he won’t play for Senegal again under the current leadership.
On Instagram, Gueye wrote: “I will explain more about the team’s elimination later, but for now, I’ll say I won’t play for Senegal with the current staff.”
Gueye was born in France and started playing for Senegal in 2021, earning 45 caps.
He was part of the team that won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2021 and got a big honor as a ‘Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion’ from Senegal’s president, Macky Sall.
Earlier this year, Gueye scored what he thought was the winning goal in extra time of the AFCON final against Morocco.
But two months later, Senegal lost that title after they walked off the pitch in protest over a penalty decision.
Coach Thiaw had told the team to leave, and they came back after about 17 minutes.
Senegal is now appealing the decision made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Gueye scored two goals in Senegal’s 5-0 win over Iraq to help reach the knockout stages but seems frustrated with how things are run.
Thiaw became coach in December 2024 and, according to the BBC, his first contract paid him about £210,000 a year.
He traveled to the US during contract talks, where Senegal’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, got involved.
Thiaw ended up signing a new deal worth £480,000 a year plus an £80,000 bonus.
Senegal’s tournament prep was tough because players and staff were upset about unpaid bonuses, which were only paid after the government approved them.
After the loss, Thiaw called the defeat “cruel” since they were leading 2-0, but he admitted Belgium fought back strongly.
“I think we played well,” he said.
“It’s easier to talk after a win. We need to look at what happened, see where we can do better, and learn so we’re ready for the next tournament.”
Right now, Senegal is ranked 18th in the world.