Ivorian Team Profile

Our Version:

If any African side is to make a serious bid to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ finals in South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire is that team. With world-class talent peppered throughout the starting 11, it's no wonder.

Les Elephants have a point to prove, having been eliminated in the first round at Germany 2006. The difficulty of the side’s group didn’t help the situation in Germany: despite a come-from-behind victory against Serbia & Montenegro, Côte d'Ivoire lost to giants Argentina and the Netherlands.

With experience and a little more luck in the draw on their side, Didier Drogba and Co are certain to be a handful in attack as they look to cement their emerging pedigree on the international level at South Africa 2010.

The Road to South Africa
Befitting of their status as one of the continent's powerhouses, Côte d'Ivoire strode through qualifying without losing a match. Los Elephants crushed the competition in their final qualifying group, running amok all over Burkina Faso, Malawi and Guinea. Their only moment of genuine uncertainty came with the Ivorians on the brink of qualifying; as usual, Didier Drogba responded when his team needed him. The Chelsea man's decisive 70th-minute goal at Burkina Faso gave the side the insurance needed to hold off the Stallions 3-2 in Ouagadougou. Fittingly, it was his dramatic equaliser after coming off the bench against Malawi that gave the West Africans a 1-1 draw, and the point they needed to reach South Africa. At the end of the day, the Chelsea man, with six goals in top matches, was top scorer for Les Elephants.

The Star Players
Les Elephants feature top-drawer talent throughout their side, with the Chelsea pair of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou leading the charge. Sevilla's Didier Zokora and Barcelona's Yaya Toure provide bite in midfield, alongside Marseille's diminutive Bakary Kone. Meanwhile, the England-based pair of Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure combine with Stuttgart's Arthur Boka to form one of the best defenses in Africa. The Elephants certainly take the cake for best names at South Africa 2010.

The Coach
A well-traveled club coach, Vahid Halilhodzic (again with the names) took the reins of his first national side when he assumed control of Côte d'Ivoire after the 2008 CAF African Cup of Nations. Born in Bosnia, Halilhodzic was a forward for the highly rated Yugoslavian team that surprised the world by crashing out at the group stage of the 1982 FIFA World Cup on goal difference. A large portion of his coaching career has been spent in France, including stints with Lille, Rennes and Paris St. Germain. Halilhodzic has admitted that he would like to return to club football in the English Premier League. The Bosnian’s Elephants side has gone undefeated since a friendly 1-0 loss in Japan the month he took charge.

Record
Côte d'Ivoire was the only nation at Germany 2006 whose squad was composed of players entirely based at clubs outside the home country. The Elephants are also the only team to have never failed to score in a FIFA World Cup match. On the other hand, Côte d'Ivoire conceded early goals in all three of its 2006 matches, with all six of their goals against coming before the 40th minute.

The Elephants Speak:
"At the last World Cup we played really well, but we were unlucky because we were in a very tough group with Argentina and Holland and went out in the first round. But I think with this kind of experience, it will be possible at South Africa 2010 to do much better. Perhaps we can make the quarter-finals and then semi-finals; this is something we can achieve," Côte d'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba.


FIFA's Version:
If an African team is to make a major impact on the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ finals in South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire are seen by many as the most likely candidates. And with world class talent throughout the starting 11, it's no wonder. Les Elephants also a point to prove after being eliminated in the first round at Germany 2006, albeit in an extremely difficult group, where they lost 2-1 to giants Argentina and the Netherlands before coming from two goals down to beat Serbia and Montenegro 3-2.

With more experience, and a little more luck in the draw, Didier Drogba and Co are certain to be a handful in attack as they look to cement their emerging pedigree on the international level at South Africa 2010.

The road to South Africa
Befitting their status as one of the continent's powerhouses, Côte d'Ivoire strode through qualifying without losing a match, running away with their final qualifying group ahead of Burkina Faso, Malawi and Guinea. There (rough) only moment of genuine uncertainty came when they were on the brink of qualifying, although - as usual - Didier Drogba responded when his team needed him. The Chelsea man's decisive 70th-minute goal at Burkina Faso gave the side just enough insurance to hold off the Stallions 3-2 in Ouagadougou, and fittingly, it was his dramatic equaliser after coming off the bench against Malawi that gave the West Africans a 1-1 draw and the point they needed to reach South Africa. All told, the Chelsea man was top scorer for Les Elephants, with six goals in five matches.

The star players
Les Elephants feature top-drawer talent throughout their side, with the Chelsea pair of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou a formidable duo up front. Sevilla's Didier Zokora and Barcelona's Yaya Toure provide bite in midfield alongside Marseille's diminutive Bakary Kone, while the England-based pair of Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure combine with Stuttgart's Arthur Boka to form one of the best defences in Africa.

The coach
A well-travelled club coach, Vahid Halilhodzic took the reins of his first national side when he assumed control of Côte d'Ivoire after the 2008 CAF African Cup of Nations. Born in Bosnia, Halilhodzic was a forward in the highly-rated Yugoslavian team that surprisingly crashed out at the group stage of the 1982 FIFA World Cup on goal difference. A large portion of his coaching career has been spent in France, including stints with Lille, Rennes and Paris St. Germain, and Halilhodzic has admitted that he would like to return to club football in the English Premier League. The Bosnians Elephants side have gone undefeated since a 1-0 friendly loss in Japan the same month he took charge.

Record

* Côte d'Ivoire were the only nation at Germany 2006 whose squad was made up of players entirely based at clubs outside their home country.
* They are the only team to never failed to score in a FIFA World Cup match.
* Côte d'Ivoire conceded early goals in all three of their 2006 matches, with all six of their goals against coming before the 40th minute.

What they said
"At the last World Cup we played really well, but we were unlucky because we were in a very tough group with Argentina and Holland and went out in the first round. But I think with this kind of experience, it will be possible at South Africa 2010 to do much better. Perhaps we can make the quarter-finals and then semi-finals; this is something we can achieve," Côte d'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba.

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