Reaction: Côte d'Ivoire World Cup squad announced
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by Bobo
Côte d'Ivoire, The Elephants, are making another appearance in the World Cup, supplemented by a fair variety of players from different countries. Having played several friendly matches prior to the tournament, against Spain, Switzerland, Chile and Slovenia, they have now headed to Germany and are ready for whatever the World Cup throws at them.
Their leader, both as a player and as a spokesman for the team, is goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie. A former handball player, he masterminds the team's creative spirit and played in the 2006 African Nations Cup final, where the team lost on penalties. He currently plays for top Tunisian side Esperance.
Leading defender Arthur Boka is one of the leading youth players in top Ivoirian side ASEC Abidjan. However, he was soon to join the ranks of Belgian football, playing for Beveren, and soon moved to France to play for Strasbourg. Boka is dubbed "the African Roberto Carlos", and not without good reason. His pace and skill leaves Belgian attackers and defenders alike amazed.
Kanga Akale moved to top side FC Zurich at the age of just seventeen. As is the case for many other Ivoirian players, France beckoned, and Auxerre made a move. A regular at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, Akele is looking to please his team-mates and the critics alike.
Kolo Touré is one of the a select few Ivoirian players who play in England, playing for Arsenal along with his teammate Eboué. The young man has since become pivotal in his side's defence. His father has praised his patriotism, and his teammates admire his ability in one-on-one situations.
Didier Zakora is one of the more recent anchors for the Ivoirian side. He only missed one of their games in the qualifying stages of this tournament, and was the standout player for the side in the African Nations Cup of this year. Since making his debut against Rwanda six years ago, he has shown his pivotal role in the side.
Blaise Kouassi plays for French side Troyes, and is main partner for defensive man Kolo Toure within the national team. The right-footer is now 31 years old and was an academy member of ASEC Abidjan's strong team. He was an important figure in the World Cup qualifying stages, starting five from six games.
Midfielder Emerse Fae only made his debut for the team in March of last year. Yet, the French-born midfielder, who won the Under-17 World Championship with his home team before settling with the national team representing the land of his parents, is already a star for both the national team and a wise player in his team FC Nantes.
Bonaventure Kalou currently plays for Paris St. Germain and is the standout performer for the Ivoirian team. He most recently found his old good form which brought him his World Cup place, having spent five seasons in the Netherlands. He has also spent good time in his home country, alongside Burkinan forward Mamadou Zongo. One to watch.
Arouna Kone plays for the first team of PSV Eindhoven. He first starred in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, and when Aruna Dindane pulled out of the Ivoirian first team squad, he assumed control of this role. However, Kone's skill at ripping apart defences is much superior to that of the young man he replaced, as the lithe 6 foot striker showed himself in the best of lights.
Midfielder Gilles Yapi-Yapo played in six of the Ivoirians’ warmup matches, before appearing in this World Cup. The opportunistic striker was also available for the 2006 African Nations Cup, but he was left largely unused.
Didier Drogba is the dividing line between any two moments in the Ivoirian team’s history. There have simply been two different Ivoirian teams in history, the one which took part in tournaments without Didi’s participation, and the ones in which he participated. Finding the net frequently during his time in France, he was touted for a league placing in the south western corner of France, perhaps with Marseilles. Until Chelsea came running. Then the world… was his oyster.
Although Kader Keter spent half of his career in relative obscurity, he is now the main choice for midfield action. Starting in Qatar, he was picked up by French scouts and brought over to Ligue Un, where he made one appearance for Lille OSC in 2005 in the Champions League. He was a member of the 2006 African Cup of Nations squad, but remained unused, and the same could happen once again this time around.
Bakary Kone only needed ten minutes to impress the Abidjan academy coach before being signed up for their first team. And, the diminutive striker has been useful to the Ivoirian attack. Kone most recently showed for the Ivoirians in the 2006 African Nations Cup final, where he was one of only two players to miss a penalty within the team.
Belgian-based striker Aruna Dindane is blessed with an innate technical ability, and when Anderlecht came calling at the age of 20, and that’s where Dindane would find himself spending the next five seasons, and come 2006, he finds himself starting regularly in the side, alongside Didier Drogba, and his regular forward runs gave him a good record in Belgium, supplemented by an award for the best African player in Belgium in 2003. Having also played in Tunisia, Dindane is a true world-travelled star.
Gerard Ghanhouan played for the French national team at junior level and only chose to play for the Ivory Coast at the last minute. He has played in the French first and second divisions for the entirety of his career. He only appeared once during the qualifying stages for this World Cup, in a home defeat against the Cameroon.
Despite seeing his playing days slowly drawing to a close, Cyrille Domoraud wishes to see his career draw to a positive close, having spent his time with nine different clubs. He has since been compared with the legendary Franco Baresi, and, while still established in the squad alongside the young boys, he is looking now to perform in the highlight of his career, the 2006 World Cup finals. Though not possessed with the aggression of his teammates, he is still a legendary performer within the squad.
Kader Keita is one of the best attacking options available to the Ivoirian coach. He joined Lille in 2005, having spent four years in Tunisia and Qatar. He has made one appearance in the UEFA Champions League.
Yaya Toure is one of the most influential players from Africa at this present moment, and the fact that he is yet to play a game in his own continent is testament to this. Brother to Kolo, he is touted to join Arsenal if things go well this time around.
Guy Demel first played for the Ivory Coast against Libya in June 2004, and despite at one time being signed up for Arsenal’s first team, he never saw a game with the club, instead moving to Germany, where he has most recently joined Hamburg. Strong and powerful, he uses his speed and height to good effect.
Emmanuel Eboué, the young ASEC defender, who moved to Arsenal at the start of 2005, has yet to break into the first eleven within one of England’s premier teams. He was a constituent of the team which participated in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, finishing in silver position.
Romaric’s committed style of play helped him in becoming a versatile striker, before he moved to Le Mans during 2005. Soon after this, he was to suffer an injury in a car crash, but recovered in time to start playing for the World Cup warmup games.
The single strongest Ivoirian team ever. It would be cruel to see them go without anything this time around.
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