- Tasks younger generation to take education serious
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Despite floundering their lines against Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the Match day two outing, former Côte d’Ivoire captain, Didier Drogba says the host nation has all it takes to win the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Côte d’Ivoire 2023 for the third time.
Drogba, who is delighted to see his country hosting the rest of Africa, believes the Elephants should put behind them the temporary setback and up their game to keep the continental title at home in Abidjan.
According to the Drogba, who places third on Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer list with 164 goals; “The African Cup of Nations is the celebration of Africa football. Of course, I want Côte d’Ivoire to win.
“We are going to fight, we are at home, we have to show that we cannot only host the competition but also put in a good performance” to win the trophy.
The effervescent striker, who took the Premiership by storm during his playing days, further said; “Côte d’Ivoire is faced with its responsibilities, it must perform. All the teams that are here deserve to be here, they have their chances so it is up to us to ensure that we respect them but above all to show that we are able to stand up to these teams.”
“It’s going to be the celebration of African football with a team from Equatorial Guinea which progresses every year.
“We are happy to have them here, I saw that they won their match, congratulations to them but it will be difficult against us,” he said.
Also taking the opportunity to send a message to the younger generation, who dream of following in his footsteps, Drogba charged them to take their education serious.
Hear him; “You have to dream and give yourself the means to make your dreams come true. You also need to give yourself several options.
“I think it is very important to have a good academic background, to study well in class, to have a good educational base which will then allow you to be able to respond and take on all the challenges and challenges of life in general”.
After their two Group A games, Côte d’Ivoire have three points and must overcome impressive Equatorial Guinea in their final game to gain automatic qualification to the next round.
