Hoisted aloft on the shoulders of his jubilant team-mates, Sadio Mané stretched both arms towards the sky. In one hand he clutched the gleaming golden trophy; the other was clenched in triumph. That wide, unrestrained smile told its own story, proclaiming to the world that African football has a reigning monarch — and his name […]

A striking collage has been doing the rounds on social media, captivating football fans across continents. Side by side are two goalkeepers frozen in near-identical poses, limbs splayed, bodies braced, eyes fixed on destiny. One is Morocco’s unflappable Yassine Bounou; the other, Argentina’s World Cup hero Emiliano Martínez. Different men, different tournaments, different eras—yet united […]