Pape Matar Sarr (born 14 September 2002) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Senegal national team.
Club career
Pape Matar Sarr made his professional debut with Génération Foot in his native country of Senegal, before signing a five-year contract with Ligue 1 side Metz on 15 September 2020.
Sarr was initially sent to play for Metz's second team in Championnat National 2, but made only one appearance before he was recalled to the first team squad following the season being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. He made his debut for the Metz first team on 29 November 2020 in a Ligue 1 game against Brest. On 31 January 2021, Sarr scored his first goal in Ligue 1 in the reverse fixture, a 4–2 away victory over Brest.
On 27 August 2021, Sarr signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He was loaned back to Metz until the end of the 2021–22 season. On 1 January 2023, Sarr finally made his long awaited Premier League debut coming on as an 80th minute substitute for Yves Bissouma in a 2–0 home loss to Aston Villa. Since his first appearance against Aston Villa Sarr has featured regularly for Spurs, either coming off the bench or starting as was the case in the North London derby loss to Arsenal. He got his first goal contribution, an assist on 28 May 2023, in the last game of the season, a 4–1 away win at Leeds United. On 19 August 2023, Sarr scored his first goal for Tottenham Hotspur on their first home game of the 2023–24 Premier League season, a 2–0 win against Manchester United.
International career
Sarr made his debut for Senegal national team on 26 March 2021 in an AFCON 2021 qualifier against Congo. On 6 February 2022, he won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
He was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation's victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.