Player Spotlight: Idrissa Gueye - Current Senegal team can do better than 2002 World Cup team

Idrissa Gueye

Thursday Dec 21, 2017. 10:00

The England-based midfielder believes that the current Senegal can perform better that the nation's 2002 FIFA World Cup team.

Next year, Senegal will participate in the finals for the second time in history - having made their debut in the 2002 tournament which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

The Lions of Teranga surprised the world when they defeated a much-fancied France side in the group stage, before going on to reach the quarter-finals where they narrowly lost Turkey.

Gueye recently told Sports daily Record that he has no doubt about the current team's ability to do better than Senegal's 2002 World Cup team.

"We do not try to forget the players of the 'Generation 2002'," he said.

"They have marked the history of Senegalese football and it is they who have paved the way for us.

"We are just trying to open a new page to do better than them. We have good players in all areas," the central defensive midfielder continued.

"From defense to attack through the middle, we have the right men. We have a complete team.

"And if only with our hearts, which are welded, we can do better than that of 2002. We can go far," he concluded.

The 2018 World Cup finals will be hosted by Russia. Senegal are in Group H along with Poland, Colombia and Japan.

The Lions of Teranga will take on Poland in their first game at the Otkrytiye Arena in Moscow on the 19th of June 2018.