A free agent at the end of June, USL Dunkerque captain and Guinea-Bissau international Opa Sangante is set to stay with les Maritimes. At 35, the Djurtus defender is far from done.
Some leaders a club simply cannot replace. Opa Sangante is one of them. The anchor of Dunkerque’s backline and its on-field captain, the Guinea-Bissau international has embodied the soul of a side that shook France’s giants over the past two seasons — remember that run to the doorstep of the French Cup semi-finals. A regular for the Djurtus at the 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, and again called up for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Senegal-born defender has lost none of his standing, for club or country.
And his next chapter looks set to be written in northern France. According to La Voix du Nord, USL Dunkerque are preparing to extend their captain, whose contract expires this summer (a further year had been an option). At 35, the centre-back should therefore continue in the Hauts-de-France region. A note of caution, though: nothing is official from the club yet — no statement, no date. But the deal appears well on track, and the Bissau-Guinean diaspora, from Bissau to Greater Paris, will be watching closely.