Sadio Mane has told his Senegal team-mates "the people are very proud of your journey" after their World Cup exit on Sunday night.
Senegal were knocked out of the tournament in Qatar by England. The Three Lions eased to a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, and they will play holders France and talisman Kylian Mbappe in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
The African champions were underdogs for Sunday's last-16 tie due to England's strength and their absentees. Senegal boss Aliou Cisse was without Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye due to suspension and Nottingham Forest midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate due to injury.
Yet Senegal's biggest absentee was Bayern Munich forward Mane, who suffered an injury during the final Bundesliga fixture before the World Cup. Any team would miss a player of Mane's quality, as he finished second to Karim Benzema in the recent Ballon d'Or vote.
Despite Mane's absence, Senegal did well in Qatar. They were narrowly beaten by Netherlands in their tournament opener but defeated Qatar and Ecuador to reach the last 16. As such, Mane is proud of what his international team-mates achieved.
"Dear brothers, you have fallen into arms," Mane wrote on Instagram. "The people are very proud of your journey and you have put the balm in the hearts of the Senegalese and all supporters by defending the national flag with dignity. Continue learning and good luck. We will go in search of more trophies Inshallah."
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Senegal have achieved unprecedented success under Cisse since he was appointed in 2015. They qualified for just their second World Cup in 2018 and won their first ever major trophy in February by beating Egypt and Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
They also reached the final of the 2019 AFCON, with Mane at the centre of their success. The Liverpool icon is Senegal's record scorer with 34 goals and needs just seven more caps to reach 100. Henri Camara and Gueye share the latter record with 99 caps each.
Mane is looking to put his World Cup disappointment behind him by getting fit for the second half of the season. It's unclear when the forward will bee fit again after he underwent surgery in November to reattach a tendon to the head of his right fibula (leg).
"Sadio Mane underwent successful surgery in Innsbruck by Prof Christian Fink and Dr Andy Williams from London on Thursday evening," read a statement form Bayern.
"During the operation, a tendon was reattached to the head of his right fibula. The FC Bayern forward will therefore no longer be available to play for Senegal at the World Cup and will begin his rehab in Munich in the next few days."
Bayern are four points clear of Freiburg at the top of the Bundesliga but have been handed a difficult tie against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League. Mane is one of their most important players and has scored 11 club goals this season.
