“30 years of experience in football, and my eyes have never seen an injury comparable to that of Kalidou Koulibaly. » Simone Inzaghi, the coach of Al-Hilal, shook the whole of Senegal at the beginning of April by mentioning the injury to his defender Kalidou Koulibaly which occurred during training. Forfeited for the final of the African Cup of Nations, on January 18 in Rabat, the emblematic defensive rock of the Lions of Teranga is now uncertain for the 2026 World Cup!
The hard blow would be total while the formation of Pape Thiaw, from whom the title of African champion was taken away (as decided by the CAF appeal jury, by giving a victory on the green carpet to Morocco), obviously appears in one of the toughest groups of the World Cup. The Senegalese challenge the French team at the start on June 16 at MetMLife Stadium, in the suburbs of New York, before facing Erling Haaland’s Norway and then Iraq on the third day of the group stage.
The captain of Senegal in the 26?
Al-Hilal was surprised to discover a subcutaneous hematoma in Koulibaly’s thigh and the latest tests carried out by the 34-year-old in Spain were terrible. The muscle tear is grade 2 and requires between four to eight weeks of rest, as indicated Sport News Africa. The former Neapolitan will not play again this season with his Saudi Arabian club, which still has four matches on the program.
It is up to Pape Thiaw to decide whether he includes his captain in his group of 26. His immense experience could be important for the group. The Senegal selection meets in two weeks with two friendly matches on the program, against the United States and Saudi Arabia, on May 31 and June 9, in Charlotte and San Antonio. Moussa Niakhaté and Mamadou Sarr were associated in the central hinge during the final against Morocco, but the second city has not played for Chelsea since last winter.
