Defender Abdou Diallo says Senegal are aiming to do better than any other African nation by reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
The only teams from the continent to get past the quarterfinals were Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), and Ghana (2010), all of which were eliminated in the last eight after extra time or penalties.
When they compete in their third World Cup finals, the African champions, who were eliminated from the 2018 tournament in the group stage, claim they want to "shatter a glass ceiling."
The 26-year-old Paris St. Germain center defender told BBC Sport Africa that although we can't predict the future, you have to be certain that you can achieve it.
"My goal is to shatter another glass ceiling because we also destroyed one in the Nations Cup final. I'll be the happiest person in the world if we succeed.
READ ALSO: George Weah: With The Legend As President, There Are Hopes For A Football Resurgence In Liberia
"Complexes do not exist. You must bear the pressure if we don't succeed because it indicates that we are working hard. If we fail, we fail."
Senegal's Group A campaign gets underway against the Netherlands on November 21 before facing the hosts Qatar on November 25 and Ecuador four days later
Senegal shocked reigning champions France with a surprising 1-0 victory in their World Cup debut twenty years ago.
The West Africans then drew with Denmark and Uruguay, defeated Sweden 2-1, and advanced to the quarterfinals before being defeated 1-0 by Turkey in the fourth minute of extra time thanks to a golden goal.
Diallo has vivid recollections of the illustrious Senegalese football team that competed in South Korea and Japan in 2002, which is regarded as the country's golden generation.
He reminisced, "I recall the neighbors whining about the noise, and I got images of my father holding me in the air.
That ground-breaking team included Senegal coach Aliou Cisse, and players like El Hadji Diouf serve as role models for the current Teranga Lions team.
We grew up with them and were constantly informed about them, these are our big brothers, Diallo added.
"That generation really inspired us and 20 years later, we got into the Nations Cup final again, won it this time and had our older brothers with us, celebrating as if they had won it themselves. It was great."
Former Lens and Liverpool forward Diouf was with the Senegal squad in Cameroon, and Diallo says Diouf "remains a player" in spirit and provides positivity.
"I think he will be one forever. Any type of game we're playing, he's there," he added.
"It's good, he lights up and he is a true [ray of] sunshine when he comes. He puts us in that mindset: 'You are the best, you are going to win'.
"We can feel that he is behind us, he is also close friends with the manager that was his captain. It's always nice to have our elders and to be united.
"Now it's our turn [at the World Cup]. We have to write this country's history and we'll see where it gets us."
'Fathers were crying' after Nations Cup success
The Senegal squad were mobbed by fans when they returned home following their Nations Cup title
Having lost the final of the 2002 Nations Cup as captain and the 2019 edition as a coach, Cisse finally led the Teranga Lions to a maiden continental success in February.
The country erupted in celebration after decades of heartbreaking near misses to erase Senegal's reputation as one of Africa's underachieving footballing nations.
Thousands took to the streets in the capital Dakar, with car horns blaring and fireworks set off after the penalty shootout victory over Egypt, but it took a few months for Diallo - the only man to play every minute in Cameroon - to truly understand the impact of their achievement.
"Being in Dakar and talking to people, it's unbelievable. I am just starting to realise now what happened back in February," he said.
"I had fathers telling me that we made them cry, that they never experienced something like that before. There is real emotion."
Diallo was born in France to Senegalese parents and represented the European nation at five youth levels before captaining the under-21s.
But, after earning 61 youth caps for France, he switched allegiance to Senegal and made his debut against Congo in March 2021, becoming a mainstay under Cisse.
"I always connect with my Senegalese background from quotes, books and strong figures from the country that people talked to me about," he added.
"But now I get to finally see it by being in the country more often. I think that at some point everyone needs to find their roots."
Diallo defies convention and breaks most football stereotypes, having broken through at Monaco after spells in four youth teams in Tours.
He only managed 10 senior games during a four-year stint at the French club, and spent a season each at German sides Mainz and Borussia Dortmund before joining PSG in 2019.
He co-authored a book titled 'Le coup d'envoi de nos rêves' (Kicking off our dreams) detailing his journey through the youth set-up at Monaco, and also co-hosts a podcast called Balle Au Centre (Ball in the Centre) with his friends.
"I am a football player that allows myself to do what he wants to do," he said.
"There are a lot of footballers that want to do it as well, but the question is: do they dare? I dare because I do not want to be limited and I do it in a very natural way."
Diallo says the football world is "very complicated" but his podcast allows a glimpse of its reality.
"For a long time, the footballer's communication was only to make people dream," he said.
"But today, in the social media era and because we are closer to the public, you can tell them the truth.
"I don't consider myself as a journalist, but on certain topics it's about being free to speak up and inspire the younger generation, and also give the world a more realistic image of footballers and the football world.
"You can like what I do on the pitch, but I am just a man. I am not perfect.
"I try to be an example. Am I? That's another question."
