After an XXL performance against Gambia in Senegal’s first match in the African Cup of Nations, Lamine Camara, 20, should be lined up again on Friday against Cameroon. With his enormous volume of play and the maturity of an old veteran, the Senegalese nugget is pulling up a new generation of players who have established themselves within Aliou Cissé’s squad at CAN 2024.
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He could well become the revelation of this CAN 2024. Lamine Camara should again start against Cameroon, Friday January 19, after having left his mark on Senegal’s first match against the Gambia – by scoring two goals, including a splendid strike rolled into the top corner at the entrance to the area.
At only 20 years old, the FC Metz player continues to panic the scorers and reinforces his status as the new darling of a Senegalese public seduced by his dedication and generosity on the pitch. “Lamine, we call him star boy,” laughs Pape Gueye. “He’s a good kid who is very humble and works, we are very happy, I hope he will continue to help us, he’s a great talent,” adds the Olympique de Marseilles.
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“Beyond his two goals, it’s his volume of play on the field… he played like an experienced boy”, wonders Aliou Cissé. But there is no question of skipping the steps, warns the coach, who intends to jealously protect this jewel of African football. “He’s a young player, we have to give him time to grow. We will continue to protect him because we must not burn him out too early.”
Because for the midfielder born on January 1, 2004 near Ziguinchor, in the south of the country, everything is going very quickly: winner of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the CAN under 20 in 2023, elected best young African player the same year, Lamine Camara already has a good track record to his credit.
“It’s a great story because he was a player who was unknown 18 months ago, with a ‘box to box’ style with a large volume of play and capable of hitting from afar,” explains journalist Hervé Kouamouo, specialist in African football, in the CAN news on France 24.
“Camara has a great volume of play”
“The passion and the experience”
According to experts, the success of Lamine Camara is also that of the excellence of the training delivered in Senegalese academies and clubs. Groundwork started two decades ago and which has allowed Senegal to win all the men’s competitions organized in Africa since 2022.
Several stars of the Lions of Teranga, such as Sadio Mané, Ismaila Sarr and Habib Diallo, were trained at the Dakar Academy of Génération Foot before shining in major European championships. The new generation that is emerging could well follow the same destiny in the coming months.
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Alongside Pape Gueye (24 years old) and Ismail Jakobs (24 years old), also starting against Gambia, Lamine Camara should soon attract the desire of the big clubs. In the meantime, these young players offer Senegal a welcome breath of fresh air within an aging squad. A transition which, according to the “Mané generation”, took place smoothly and in good intelligence.
“We have given confidence to all the young people and the old ones are there to regulate all that. It’s important, this mix between enthusiasm and experience. For the moment, it’s going well but we’re not going to stop. igniting, this is only the beginning,” assures captain Kalidou Koulibaly, 32 years old.
“If all these boys emerge, it’s because there is a collective behind and a common project. As I tell the team: collectively, if we are good, the individualities will be seen”, summarizes the coach Aliou Cisse.
This alchemy between the “old” Lions and the lion cubs today allows the defending champion to maintain his position as favorite in the competition. After the modest Gambia, the match against Cameroon could offer new certainties to a Senegalese team in full confidence, which is aiming for a historic double on February 11 in Abidjan.