Attitude and leadership at the edge

By Nana Sifa Twum, PhD

Leadership is most authentically demonstrated not in moments of ease, but during times of crisis. Finals serve as rigorous arenas where attitude surpasses talent, and mere seconds of decision-making possess the power to redefine legacies accumulated over many years.

Two instances, one exemplifying restraint and the other illustrating rupture, encapsulate this truth with remarkable clarity: Sadio Mané in the 2025 AFCON final, and Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.

Though separated by time, context, and continent, these two moments offer a powerful contrast in leadership. One leader pulled people back from the brink, insisting on continuity and belief. The other lost emotional control, exiting the stage at the very moment his team needed him most. Together, they offer a masterclass on how attitude under pressure can either secure immortality or invite regret

The Mané Episode: Leadership in the Heat of Collapse

During the 2025 AFCON final, tensions escalated to a perilous level. Decisions made by match officials, increasing emotions among players, and mounting external pressure posed significant risks to the integrity of the game. At that critical juncture, frustration erupted. Teammates voiced protests. Officials exhibited signs of unease. There was a substantial risk that the match could devolve into chaos or, in the worst case, be abandoned.

It was here that Sadio Mané’s leadership became decisive.

Rather than inflaming the situation, Mané intervened both physically and symbolically. He called his teammates back with composure. He engaged officials with restraint rather than anger. His gestures were decisive yet calming, authoritative without aggression. The message was clear: we proceed, we concentrate, and we complete this appropriately.

This was not a tactical intervention; it was an emotional one. Mané understood something fundamental about leadership in crises: when systems break down, behaviour becomes the strategy.

By choosing composure over confrontation, Mané stabilised the psychological environment of the match. The game resumed. Senegal refocused. Momentum, which had been slipping into disorder, was reclaimed. Eventually, Senegal went on to win the trophy.

The significance of this episode cannot be overstated. Mané’s leadership did not show up on the scoresheet in that moment, but it saved the match, preserved Senegal’s competitive integrity, and kept the team mentally present long enough to win. This is leadership as emotional governance, the ability to regulate others by first regulating oneself.

Zidane’s farewell: When emotion overrules authority

Contrast this with Zidane’s final act in football during the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. It was his farewell match, the closing chapter of a legendary career. Zidane was not merely France’s captain; he was its symbol, its conscience, and its creative engine.

On the night, he played brilliantly. He scored early. He dictated tempo. He commanded respect. Yet leadership is not only about brilliance, but also about the endurance of character.

In the final moments of extra time, following provocation through verbal abuse from Marco Materazzi, Zidane reacted by headbutting his adversary. The incident was immediate, instinctive, and consequential. The referee was compelled to issue a red card. Zidane exited the field, passing by the World Cup trophy, and subsequently retired from professional football, feeling quite embarrassed.

A European newspaper put it this way: “Zinedine Zidane headlined the 2006 World Cup final by scoring a 7th-minute penalty before being sent off in the 110th minute for headbutting Italy’s Marco Materazzi. France eventually lost the match to Italy on penalties (5-3), making Zidane’s dramatic exit one of football’s most iconic, tragic and shameful moments.”

In that moment, Zidane’s authority collapsed into impulse. His reaction did not merely remove him from the game; it removed leadership itself from the French team. France went on to lose the penalty shootout.

What makes this episode especially painful is its timing. This was not a young player losing control; it was a veteran, a captain, in his final appearance. The farewell became a cautionary tale.

The contrast: Attitude as the Real Contest in Crises

Placed side by side, these two episodes reveal the true battleground of finals: attitude.

• Mané faced collective frustration and chose restraint
• Zidane faced personal insult and chose retaliation

Both reactions were human. But leadership is not judged by humanity alone; it is judged by responsibility to the group.

Mané’s attitude communicated continuity: the team is bigger than the moment. Zidane’s action communicated rupture: the moment overwhelmed the role. One act kept eleven players engaged, while the other left ten exposed.

In leadership terms, Mané practised containment, absorbing emotional volatility so others could function. Zidane, tragically, became a source of volatility himself.

Collective Consequences of Individual Behaviour

Leadership in finals is never private. Every action by a captain carries collective consequences.

Mané’s intervention:

• Prevented escalation
• Re-established focus
• Protected Senegal’s competitive legitimacy
• Enabled eventual victory

Zidane’s reaction:

• Destabilised his team
• Shifted psychological momentum
• Forced France into penalties without its leader
• Redefined his farewell narrative

This contrast underscores a brutal truth: leaders are remembered not only for what they do, but for what they leave behind when they exit the stage.

Symbolism and Legacy

Mané lifting the AFCON trophy after pulling his team back from the brink of collapse transformed him from a star player into a moral leader. His legacy is not just about goals or assists, but about judgment under fire.

Zidane remains one of football’s greatest artists. Yet his final image is inseparable from that red card. The headbutt did not erase his greatness, but it permanently complicated it. His farewell became a lesson taught in leadership classrooms across the world.

Lessons Beyond Football

For politics, governance, and public leadership areas central to your work, the parallels are unmistakable.

• Crises test temperament more than competence
• Authority without emotional discipline is fragile
• One moment of restraint can save institutions
• One moment of anger can overshadow decades of achievement

Mané governed a crisis. Zidane surrendered to one.

Conclusion

The 2025 AFCON final and the 2006 World Cup final exemplify two distinct leadership outcomes, one characterised by redemption through restraint and the other by regret through reaction. Sadio Mané demonstrated that effective leadership sometimes involves preventing individuals from departing prematurely. Zinedine Zidane illustrated that even esteemed legends may depart at inappropriate moments.

Ultimately, crises do not inquire about the most talented individuals; rather, they inquire about those who are most disciplined and well-mannered. The pertinent question is: who is more refined and possesses the most appropriate attitude to effect change? History provides the corresponding answers.

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