On Sunday, December 4, Senegal lost the World Cup during their round of 16 game against England. This loss deeply affected Senegal as they were slowly on the road to potentially win the World Cup.

A day later, on Monday, December 5, I wore the Senegal jersey, a Senegalese flag, and numerous other accessories that symbolize Senegal. This garnered plenty of different reactions. Some were bittersweet, most were wondering “what was the point?”

So why did I wear Senegalese attire even though they were just eliminated from the World Cup?

Their last match, some would say, was disappointing, with some people saying Senegal was a bit lazy and made too many mistakes that cost them some goals. While I believe this is factual, people are forgetting that Senegal’s opponent, England, was a heavy hitter and has been one of the best teams in soccer for a long time. England has always been a very organized and calculated team; wherever the ball is, the English players seem to attack it like a pack of wild dogs.

Senegal is just now gaining its peak. The team has only qualified for the World Cup on three occasions. First, in 2002 where we lost to Turkey in the quarterfinals. And then in 2018 and 2022, so it’s only more recently that they even qualified for the World Cup consecutively, yet England has qualified for the World Cup 16 times. Therefore, Senegal’s growth as a team is undeniable.

Sadio Mane, a player for the Senegalese team, is considered one of the best players in the world. He is known for his dribbling, speed, and pressing. With his club team, Liverpool, Mane won six trophies, including the Premier League in 2020 and the Champions League in 2019. He received the players’ and supporters’ player of the year awards in 2017 and was a Liverpool player who appeared in the Premier League’s Team of the Season three times in six seasons.

However, in the 2022 World Cup, he was nowhere to be found in the team due to an injury. This devastated the Senegal team fans with people claiming that Senegal now had no chance of winning due to the best player not being present. Despite these claims, Senegal still made it this far which I believe is worth being proud of. 

Senegal arguably carried the back of Africa in the World Cup. As of now, the remaining African team is Morocco. However, many fans were rooting for Senegal because the team spread awareness for often overlooked African teams. The overall performance of Senegal in this World Cup is definitely one to be commended as they were arguably seen as the underdogs. Fox Sports claimed to be excited to watch Senegal and called them “one of the most entertaining teams in Qatar.”

Personally, being from Senegal, and always having been proud of my Senegalese and African heritage, the Senegalese team gave me this unbelievable hope to the point where even if we lost the World Cup, I was still completely proud to claim my country and represent it. I barely had any interest in watching soccer until I saw how good a contender Senegal was in this World Cup. It went from only tuning in when Senegal was playing, to being concerned if Ghana beat Uruguay and ecstatic that Cameroon beat Brazil even though Cameroon didn’t qualify. And I’m still tuning in!  Albeit a bit less than I would have if Senegal still played. 

Most importantly, I would have felt like I was a traitor if I didn’t still represent my country. When Senegal was on its rise in the World Cup, nobody was safe from hearing the wrath of my pride. After the Senegal-Ecuador match, I laughed at any acquaintance with Ecuadorian allegiance. No African country was safe last year when Senegal won the African Cup of Nations (AFCON). I share my excitement for my country not only when we’re winning, but when we’re losing too.

So yes, although it is quite a bummer that we lost, I’m still proud of our progress and I am still bragging about my country.