Senegalese children play football everywhere - on streets, on sandy beaches, on dusty playgrounds, on patches of grass between buildings. Many of the country's stars grew up playing barefoot in their villages and only got their first proper boots when they joined an academy.
Sadio Mané was born in a village called Bambali in 2002. As a child he played in a clearing in the dust. He left home in his teens to join a football academy in Dakar, and then went on to play for top European clubs including Liverpool, where he won the Champions League. He has used a lot of his money to build a school, a hospital and even a stadium back in his home village.
In 2022, Senegal beat Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations final - the country's first AFCON win. When the team flew home with the trophy, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Dakar to celebrate. The President declared a public holiday.
Senegal's nickname 'The Lions of Teranga' captures something important. 'Lion' for strength and courage on the pitch. 'Teranga' for hospitality off it - winning gracefully, losing gracefully, and welcoming opposing teams kindly when they visit.