Story byKoulibaly, Mendy, Mane: Senegal's RSL spine gunning for more AFCON glorySaudi Pro LeagueMon, December 22, 2025 at 8:10 AM UTC·5 min readOn every other weekend, they are sworn enemies in search of a major prize in Saudi football: the Roshn Saudi League title. But for the next month, they are brothers in arms as they look to bring continental silverware to their native Senegal for only the second time in the country’s history. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWe talk, of course, about Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mane, who play their club football for Al Ahli, Al Hilal and Al Nassr, respectively - three of the top four teams in the thick of the RSL title race this season. Granted, they aren’t really enemies in the true sense of the word, although in the context of the RSL, the trio are split across adversarial lines. However, their compatriot connection runs deep through their exploits with the Senegalese national team, which includes lifting together the country’s only Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) crown. That came back at the 2021 edition, which owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, was actually played in 2022. There, in Cameroon, Mendy, Koulibaly and Mane each played a starring role as Senegal defeated Egypt on penalties to reign supreme on their home continent for the very first time. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoth Koulibaly and Mane scored in the shootout, while Mendy stood large with a huge penalty save that swung the sudden-death duel in Senegal’s favour. Mane later laid out exactly what the triumph meant."It's the best day of my life and the best trophy of my life," the Al Nassr forward, then at Liverpool, said afterwards. "I won the [UEFA] Champions League and some [other] trophies, but this is the special one for me.