It’s World Cup fever tiimmmeeee! As the 2014 games get set to begin next Thursday (June 12) in Brazil, fans and media outlets all over the globe continue to toss in their predictions and tidbits about who’s going to do well. Check out this list of 4 important things to know about Team Ivory Coast aka Les Éléphants, after the click.
Adapted from Buzzfeed:
1. It’ll be Coach Lamouchi’s first World Cup as a coach
This will be the first time that The Elephants head coach, Sabri Lamouchi, will be participating in the games. He was cut from the French team before the ’98 World Cup and became IC’s head coach at the beginning of the qualifying rounds.
2. We’ll probably all be watching Drogba, Toure, Girvihno and Aurier:
This will probably be Didier Drogba’s (top) last World Cup since he’ll be 40 by the time the next one rolls around, but he’s still a showstopper and will likely shine throughout the games. He’s expected to add to his stats as The Elephants all time leader in caps (100) and goals (64).
The rest of the Elephants supporting cast include:
- 31-year-old Yaya Toure (bottom left), the Elephants midfielder and three-time African Footballer of the Year;
- 21 year old Serge Aurier (bottom middle) a rising star and exciting player to watch;
- and 27 year old Gervinho (bottom right) – who is looking to recharge and make a strong comeback after a not-so-great season with Arsenal.
3. Their uniforms are just okay
Sort of plain, no? I guess they aren’t on the field to look fab lol. The orange jersey on the left, is their Home jersey, and the turquoise/green one on the right is their Away jersey.
4. They’re expected to do extremely well in their group
In the 2006 World Cup, the team was in a group with Argentina and the Netherlands who went on to advance, and in 2010, the Elephants were in a group with Brazil and Portugal, who also went on to advance. Compared to the last two showings, they are expected to do extremely well in this their 2014 grouping.
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For more check out this article from Buzzfeed
What do you think about Ivory Coast’s prospects in the Cup?
