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AFCON 2015: Ivory Coast Profile

1/17/2015

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PictureTeam Captain Yaya Toure (in photo)
FIFA Rank: 28

Coach: Herve Renard

Captain: Yaya Toure

Nickname: Les Elephants (The Elephants)

Best AFCON finish: Winners (1992)

AFCON 2013 finish: Quarter-finals

AFCON PEDIGREE:

For a team considered to be amongst Africa's best for the last 15 or 20 years, and currently ranked the top side in Africa, it's been a long wait since their only previous glory in the tournament, which came back in 1992.


The Ivory Coast however have a proud and consistent record in the continental showpiece, having only failed to qualify on three occasions since making their first AFCON appearance back in 1965, when they finished third (they also missed out on the 1978 tournament after being banned from the competition, and did not enter into the 1982 qualification process.)

Overall, Côte d'Ivoire have four third place finishes to their credit, and have also finished as runners up on two occasions, losing the 2006 final on penalties to hosts Egypt, also going down to Zambia via a penalty shoot-out in the 2012 edition.

SQUAD OVERVIEW:

As has become customary for the Ivory Coast, their squad is packed with star players, including a handful that have proven themselves in European football on some of the biggest stages over the last five or 10 years.

Captain and four-time African Player of the Year Yaya Toure will be the obvious talisman, and if the Manchester City midfielder can find his best form, the Ivory Coast have every reason to believe this could be their year.

Older brother Kolo Toure will provide the experience at the back, alongside veteran keeper Boubacar Barry, while Paris Saint-Germain's marauding right-back Serge Aurier is certainly one for the future.

Cheick Tiote of Newcastle United has established himself as one of the Premier League's best midfield generals and will be expected to pull the strings in the middle of the park.

Up front, Côte d'Ivoire have plenty of fire-power. Gervinho comes into the competition enjoying a new lease of life at Roma, while Salomon Kalou is a proven goal-scorer at international level.

With Didier Drogba retiring from international football, Swansea City's Wilfried Bony will be the main man up front, with his form in England suggesting he's ready to take AFCON 2015 by storm.

FULL SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Sylvain Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Sayouba Mande (Staebek)

Defenders: Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro (Toulouse), Serge Aurier (Paris Saint-Germain), Eric Bertrand Bailly (Espanyol), Wilfried Kanon (ADO Den Haag), Siaka Tiene (Montpellier HSC), Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Ousmane Viera (Rizespor)

Midfielders: Roger Assale (Sewe Sport), Serey Die (Basle), Ismael Diomande (St Etienne), Cheick Doukoure (Metz), Max Gradel (St Etienne), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle United), Yaya Toure (Manchester City)

Forwards: Wilfried Bony (Swansea City), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow), Gervinho (Roma), Salomon Kalou (Hertha Berlin), Junior Tallo (Bastia), Lacina Traore (Monaco)

By: Farai Diza
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