Henri Camara knows what it feels like to make history with Senegal. Twenty-four years after his golden goal against Sweden sent the Lions of Teranga into the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, the 99-cap legend believes the current generation has what it takes to go even further.
Camara won 99 caps and scored 29 goals for Senegal between 1999 and 2008. After Senegal stunned defending champions France 1-0 in the 2002 World Cup opener, Camara scored twice in the Round of 16 against Sweden, including a golden goal in extra time that sent his country through to the quarter-finals, still the deepest run by Senegal at a World Cup.
Speaking in an interview facilitated by Parimatch UK Sportsbook, Camara turned his attention to Senegal’s prospects at the current World Cup, and the bigger question that has hung over African football for decades: can the continent finally produce a world champion?
It’s a question Pelé himself once raised, predicting an African nation would lift the trophy before the year 2000. That deadline has long since passed, but Camara isn’t ready to let go of the idea. “We’d love to be first, and I think we will be one day,” he said. “I don’t know if it will be this year, but I’d like us to finish in the last four, to reach the semi-finals.”
It’s a bold target, but not a reckless one. Senegal have built a reputation over the past decade as one of the continent’s most consistent sides, anchored by Premier League and Bundesliga regulars, and Camara clearly believes this group is capable of going further than his own history-making squad managed in 2002. “With the players we have, I think Senegal can go far,” he said.
He was equally quick to praise Morocco, the team that became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final at Qatar 2022. Asked about Morocco’s win over Brazil, Camara didn’t hesitate to acknowledge the threat they pose. “What Morocco showed against Brazil was very strong. I think Morocco will also be there in the later stages,” he said. “We’ll see which teams reach the final, but I’d like to see an African team get there this year.”
That respect for a rival doesn’t extend to letting go of an old argument. With Senegal’s AFCON title still disputed in some quarters after a controversial final against Morocco, Camara was unequivocal when asked whether a meeting between the two sides at this World Cup should settle the debate once and for all. “We are the champions. We remain the champions. We won it on the pitch,” he said. “Even today, if our paths cross again, Senegal will beat Morocco. We are the best team in Africa.”
It’s the kind of statement that will resonate with Senegalese fans who have followed Camara’s career since his breakthrough days in Switzerland with Neuchâtel Xamax, before he moved to Sedan in France and then onto Wolves in the English Premier League. His own tournament in 2002 ended in the quarter-finals, beaten by Turkey. Whether this generation can go one step further, or further still, remains to be seen, but according to the man who got Senegal there once before, the ambition is the right one to have.
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