Drogba heads Ivory Coast’s Nations Cup squad

ABIDJAN (AFP) – Ivory Coast superstar Didier Drogba headed coach Sabri Lamouchi’s 23-player Africa Cup of Nations squad unveiled here on Thursday.

The China-based striker is hoping to lead his country to the title in South Africa after missing out on penalties to Zambia in Gabon in the 2012 edition.

File Photo: Didier Drogba at a press conference. AFP PHOTO

Manchester City’s Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya, the African Player of the Year, were among half a dozen players called up from the English Premier League.

The only non-foreign based name on Lamouchi’s list was goalkeeper Ali Badra.

Only six of the squad for the January 19-February 10 tournament did not figure at the 2012 Nations Cup.

Ivory Coast are preparing for the competition with a January 6-16 training camp in Abu Dhabi, with a friendly pencilled in against Egypt, who failed to qualify, on January 14.

“I’ve selected these 23 players to perform good work in Abu Dhabi and I hope that they will all be available to go the Nations Cup,” said the team’s French coach.

In South Africa, the Ivorians are drawn in Group D with Algeria, Tunisia and Togo.

Ivroy Coast squad

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Daniel Yeboah (Dijon/FRA), Ali Badra Sangaré (Ivoire Academie)

Defenders: Souleymane Bamba (Trazbonspor/TUR), Siaka Tiene (Paris Saint Germain/RA), Kolo Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Igor Lolo (Kuban Krasnodar/RUS), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray/TUR), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart/GER), Ismael Traore (Brest/FRA)

Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City (ENG), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover 96/GER), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne/FRA), Didier Zokora (Trazbonspor/TUR), Abdul Razak (Manchester City/ENG), Romaric Ndri Koffi (Zaragosa/ESP), Cheick Ismael Tiote (Newcastle/ENG)

Forwards: Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua/CHN), Gervinho (Arsenal/ENG), Salomon Kalou (Lille/FRA), Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem/NED, Lacina Traore (Anzhi Makhachkala/RUS), Arouna Kone (Wigan/ENG).