• Tweet

BOWING OUT: Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, left, and Nigeria's Kenneth Omeruo fight for the ball during their 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Sunday. Photo: Gallo Images

One of Africa's greatest footballers is now 34 years old and it seems he was never destined to win the continent's supreme prize.

He left Africa's football stage on Sunday night for the last time, his Ivory Coast team eliminated 2-1 in a shock defeat by Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Drogba made his debut for Ivory Coast in a World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana in 2002, a goalless draw in Abidjan. He has been to six Nations Cups, coming closest last year when Ivory Coast lost on penalties to eventual champions Zambia.

The last time Ivory Coast, one of football's powerhouses in Africa, won the Nations Cup was in 1992, when Drogba was about to turn 18.

"It's all over," said a downcast Drogba on Sunday night after the match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

He said it was now time for Ivory Coast to channel their energies into qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. They are in Group C along with Tanzania, Morocco and Gambia. After a win and a draw, they head the group on four points.

"We are now going to focus on the World Cup, even if I'm not there," said Drogba, who was as unimpressive as the rest of the team in this Afcon upset.

The Ivorians went into this Nations Cup - as they have in the past four tournaments - as the hot favourites. Yet again they failed to finish as the last team standing. Besides Drogba, other world-class players who were in the Ivorian team that failed to emulate the success of their Class of 1992 included Yaya and Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou, Emmanuel Eboue and Didier Zakora.

The golden generation of Ivorian players featured twice in finals of the last four Nations Cups. The Elephants reached the semifinals in Ghana in 2008 and were eliminated in the quarterfinals in Angola two years later.

It has been a sad past 12 months for Drogba. He left Chelsea to play for China's premier league club Shanghai Shenhua on a two-and-a-half-year contract, leaving last month after just six months to join Galatasaray.

Along with Drogba, one of the saddest players in the Ivory Coast team was former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Siaka Tiene.

"I was hoping I could return to South Africa and help my country win the Nations Cup," said a heartbroken Tiene.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Wed Jun 19 07:33:53 SAST 2013 ::

Feb 5, 2013

Papage

It was never meant to be, take pride in what you achived and move on, maybe some coming after you will win something for Ivory Coast. I just wonder where is Mamadou the Big Mouth
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

3litreV6

Now this is a man who's taking defeat like a man, not that cry baby Emmanuel Adebayor.
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Mofida

@Papage-Some things are not meant to be,after all god cant give you averything and you must just accept and move o,after all Drogba as an individual has achieved more than a an average human being.
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Tango

Eish, i missed their game on Sunday as i was still angry about the Bafana loss. I would have loved to hear the loudmouth Mamadou's reation to his team's loss.

Thumbs up to Sunday Oliseh
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Rragwe

you are a soldier drogba you fought for your country unlike the coward benni macarthy and pinnar
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Rragwe

Tango
eish tango I thought im the only one who is angry and not watching the games, i still dont see this games nor sami final,final and psl games
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

TebzaMo

Can we re-calculate the ages there pls , he was turning 18 in 1992 now he is 34!
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Tango

TebzaMo
hehehe.....this makes him 39
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Zane3

@TebzaMo: Can we re-calculate the ages there pls , he was turning 18 in 1992 now he is 34!
===================================================================
The editor made a mistake, its 1998 instead of 1992 when they lost to Bafana in the France World Cup qualifications.
Report Abuse

Feb 5, 2013

Msydodo

@Tebzamo

You are right man, if he was turning 18 in 1992, it means he was born in 1974, and a 1974 born thing is turinig 39 this year, who's fooloing who here?????
Report Abuse

Read all 21 comments