Senegalese player Sadio Mané was awarded the Best Player of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco, after helping his national team win the title for the second time in its history.

The Senegalese national team won the Africa Cup of Nations title by defeating the Moroccan team 1-0 in the final match, which was decided in extra time after the regular time ended in a 0-0 draw.

The final match witnessed exciting moments, as the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco just minutes before the end of the second half, after consulting the video technology which confirmed a foul inside the penalty area in favor of Ibrahim Diaz.

The Senegalese national team players expressed their protest against the decision, which came at a sensitive time, prompting them to temporarily withdraw from the match. However, the intervention of team captain Sadio Mané led the players to return to the field to continue the game.

Diaz was unable to capitalize on the penalty kick, as he took it with a "Panenka" style, but goalkeeper Mendy brilliantly saved it, keeping the score unchanged. The match then went into extra time, during which Senegal scored the winning goal.

It is worth noting that the Senegalese national team won the title for the first time in the 2022 edition.