Pape Alassane Gueye

Born in the Paris suburbs to Senegalese parents, Pape Gueye chose the Lions of Teranga and has grown into a physical, box-to-box force. After Le Havre, Marseille and a Sevilla loan, he joined Villarreal in July 2024 and enjoyed his best season in 2025/26 (around 30 La Liga games, 5 goals). His defining moment came in the 2025 AFCON final: about three minutes into extra time he curled a left-footed winner past Bounou to beat hosts Morocco 1-0. "I scored the best goal of my career... I cried with joy after the match," he said, hailing Senegal's "second star." CAF later overturned the result (3-0 to Morocco; Senegal appealing to CAS), but his strike stands as a career highlight. He started the 2-1 win over Ecuador at Qatar 2022 that sent Senegal through. Under Pape Thiaw he started against France, in the midfield three with Camara and Idrissa Gueye, in the 3-1 defeat.