When Morocco and Senegal emerge from the tunnel at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Sunday, the Africa Cup of Nations final will carry more than just continental pride. On opposite benches will sit two men linked by shared scars, unfinished business and a curious Nigerian thread running through their darkest footballing memories.
Walid Regragui and Pape Thiaw both know the cruelty of an AFCON final lost as players. Both reached the brink of glory. Both fell short. And in both stories, Nigeria were an unavoidable part of the journey.
Thiaw was a member of Senegals trailblazing 2002 side, the team that announced the Lions of Teranga to Africa. In the semi-finals, they outlasted Nigeria 21 after extra time, sparking dreams of a first continental crown. But the fairytale ended in the final: a tense, goalless draw against Cameroon, followed by the agony of defeat on penalties.
Two years later, it was Regraguis turn to dream and to suffer. He featured for Morocco at the 2004 AFCON, where the Atlas Lions opened their campaign with a 10 victory over Nigeria. Momentum carried them all the way to the final, only for hosts Tunisia to snatch a 21 win and leave Morocco nursing another what-if.
Now, more than 20 years on, history has circled back.
This final is a chance for both men to rewrite their own stories not as players, but as coaches. Not as part of a collective, but as leaders.
Senegal, at least, know what it feels like to finish the job. After losing the 2019 final to Algeria, they finally lifted the trophy in 2021, beating Egypt on penalties. That triumph reshaped Senegalese football and reinforced a culture of patience and resilience values that have defined Thiaws coaching journey.
Moroccos wait has been far longer. Since that painful night in 2004, the Atlas Lions failed to go beyond the quarter-finals in eight consecutive AFCON tournaments, a record that weighed heavily on a nation rich in talent but starved of continental success.
Everything changed with Regragui.
Appointed just three months before the 2022 World Cup, following the dismissal of Vahid Halilhodzic, he tore up the script. Morocco stunned Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to the semi-finals, becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four of a World Cup. Expectations were reset. Belief was restored.
Now, back on African soil, Regragui stands one game away from delivering what has eluded Morocco for two decades. Across from him, Thiaw has the chance to complete a personal arc that began in heartbreak and matured through hard-earned triumph.
This is not just Senegal versus Morocco.
It is memory versus destiny.
Loss versus learning.
And for two men shaped by past pain, one final opportunity to make history speak differently.
