Where are the new Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba in African football? Many observers believe they are yet to emerge or not even in sight.
Ivory Coast captain Serey Dié is among those waiting to see such new talents who could equal or surpass what the Cameroonian and Ivorian legends achieved in their heyday.
Eto’o won the UEFA Champions League thrice while Drogba helped Chelsea to claim the title for the first time in their history in 2012.
“Eto’o and Drogba brought great pride to the continent. They were not only massively talented, but were conspicuous ambassadors of Africa. Everywhere you travelled to people talked about Eto’o and Drogba. I mean non-Africans,” Dié told ACLSports on Tuesday, after he led the Elephants to a 1-0 win over Liberia in an international friendly.
“I heard an Asian tourist asking about Didier Drogba’s country. He wanted information on Ivory Coast and didn’t even know the name of the country but knew it was where Drogba hailed from. That is very touching.
“Also, an Australian couple once met a Cameroonian and asked him if he was Eto’o. You can imagine how these players impacted lives through their talent. We don’t have such players anymore. We need to produce them as soon as possible, maybe at the upcoming AFCON in Egypt.”
In a recent interview with a local tabloid in Cameroon, Eto’o himself said he believes there are budding African talents out there capable of becoming better successors of him and Drogba.
However, Dié says it could probably take some time and hard work or even more.
“There are skilful young players around Africa or already in Europe as professionals but to hit the heights of Eto’o and Drogba you need more work, vision and maybe prayers. Not easy!”
Ivory Coast are among the 24 teams qualified to participate at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt in June / July.
