Drogba: It’s time to win the Afcon
The captain of the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire, Didier Drogba
The captain of the Ivoirian national team made his return to Abidjan following the tumultuous qualification in Dakar on Saturday, in the return leg of the qualifiers for the 29th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, and now thinks the time has come to break the spell.
“We all want to win something for our country. It is the dream that everyone aspires to. We have reached two finals and a semi-final (2008 in Ghana). It’s time for us to win it,” affirmed the Shanghai Shenhua striker.
The former Marseille player, who has been a member of the Côte d’Ivoire National Team for ten years and has competed in six Afcon finals, must begin to think about putting an end to his international career, one which he has every intention of crowning with success in South Africa.
“It would be great to win the trophy now. Honestly, we are starting to get tired of it escaping us each time,” stated the 34-year old player.
In order to go in search of this highly-coveted title, Didier Drogba will again be counting on the collective and on solidarity, a group feeling without which the team cannot achieve anything.
“Don’t think that the national team is only made up of players. Without the group, the team is nothing. There is a whole staff concerned about what we do.
"So it is in solidarity, with a strong collective that we will succeed in winning the trophy,” indicated the Elephants’ striker, who did not neglect to praise the irreproachable spirit of his team mates on Saturday in Dakar.
”We showed a great collective effort against Senegal. We fought together, everybody gave of himself and this allowed us to triumph. We are a family and we love playing for our country. The work must continue.
"Now, everybody expects a trophy. We hope to be able to give a Cup to our country,” he added encouragingly.
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