The former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has said that this will not be the end of the Golden generation for Ivory Coast. The African team will be playing in the 2013 African cup of nations as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. However, they have been in this position for the last few occasions, but have failed to win the trophy. They came extremely close in the previous edition of the tournament when they managed to lose the final in the penalty shootout. Due to the presence of players like Drogba, Yaya Touré, and Salomon Kalou, this has been regarded as the Golden generation of the nation.
The previous time the team lifted the African cup of Nations was in 1992. The 35-year-old Didier Drogba is unlikely to be around for the next edition of the tournament. Drogba is easily the most recognisable African player in the world. He has also managed to lift all the major titles with his club team Chelsea before moving to the Chinese league in the summer. Touré will be struggling to get back to full fitness after spending the last week in hospital due to illness. Despite sitting ahead of Brazil and France in the FIFA rankings, there are a lot of doubts about Ivory Coast ahead of the tournament.
“I don’t think it would be the end of a golden generation. It will certainly be the end for me, but the others will be able to win the trophy, I’m sure. As captain of this team, all the guys seem to be linked to me, but there are still many players who will be left behind after I’ve gone and will keep going for two, three, four or even five tournaments. I’m not thinking about myself, I’m thinking about the team. We will win it one day, maybe with or without me,” said Drogba.