Koulibaly Has No Regrets Snubbing France For Senegal

By Max Wise

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed he has no regrets opting to represent Senegal rather than France.

The 27-year-old was born in France to Senegalese parents, but chose to play for the Taranga Lions at international level, despite featuring eleven times for the French U-20 side.

Prior to EURO 2016, France coach Didier Deschamps mistakenly revealed on French TV's Canal Football Club that he was considering Koulibaly for the quadrennial tournament.

He was however, left red-faced when it was pointed out to him that Koulibaly had already featured five times for the Senegal national team, having made his debut in September 2015.

"I don't have any regrets because I want to write the story of the future of Senegal football, and I hope I'll be able to do that," the centre-back told BBC Sport.

"For me [the World Cup] was a good experience because I wanted to show that Senegal is one of the best teams in Africa."

"I spoke about the decision with my wife and I chose to go with Senegal."

"When I saw the light in the eyes of my parents when I told them I had chosen Senegal, I was really happy and comfortable with my choice."

Koulibaly has been nominated for the 2018 BBC African Player Of The Year Award alongside Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Ghana’s Thomas Partey and Morocco’s Mehdi Benatia.