Guardian

ON several occasions, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire had been tipped to win the African Nations Cup trophy, but it had been a case of near misses.

However, this time, team captain, Didier Drogba, feels the Elephants can realise their ambition of winning the trophy. The South Africa 2013 Nations Cup is likely to be Drogba’s last chance, having led the Elephants to two finals without success in 2006 and 2012.

At Egypt 2006 edition of the Nations Cup, Cote d’Ivoire was tipped by many football faithful to win the title after eliminating one of the pre-championship favourites, Super Eagles of Nigeria 1-0 in the semifinal.

Some Egyptian fans who watched the semifinal cracker in Alexandra City, where Drogba’s lone strike nailed the Austin Eguavoen-led Eagles, gave the Ivoriens a greater chance of lifting the trophy against their country. But on the day of the final at the magnificent Cairo International Stadium, Drogba and his teammates did everything possible to out run the Pharaohs, but to no avail. The Egyptians smiled last in the game, which was decided on penalty shootout, thereby denying Drogba the golden chance of lifting the trophy for the first time.

Again, at the last edition hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012, Drogba and his group were the fans favorite for the trophy after other traditional teams like the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Lions of Cameroun failed to qualify. But, it was the Chipolopolo of Zambia that carried the day, beating the star-studded Elephants in the final through penalties. The Elephants and their fans were forced to early bed disappointed.

The stage is getting set for the 2013 edition in South Africa and Drogba is telling football fans around Africa that this might be the opportunity for his team to lift the trophy.

“There are several other trophies that I would like to win, but the AFCON is one of those at the top of my list,” Drogba said in an interview with France 24. “It is several years now that we have been after it and it would be wonderful to be able to touch it,” he admitted.

Drogba said he was impatient to return to South Africa, a country he holds close to his heart. “South Africa is very special to me.  I went there for the Confederation Cup and I had the opportunity to meet (then) President Nelson Mandela.

“During the 2010 World Cup, I was not well, but I felt an excitement within the team at each of our matches. It’s true that I can’t wait to be there. There are the favourites and there are those that win it,” he observed.

The Elephants will arrive in South Africa on January 16 from Abu Dhabi where they have been on camp since last weekend.

To be in good shape for the Nations Cup, Drogba left his base in Shanghai, China, to train with his former club, Chelsea, a club he helped lift the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time in the club history after an unforgettable campaign in May 2012.

Chelsea fans worldwide are yet to forget the singular role Drogba played on the club’s route to victory. They will always remember the great comeback against Napoli, the tense win against Benfica and the heroics victory against the mighty FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, in which the ‘Lion’ Drogba accounted for the lone goal. They are yet to forget his role in the famous night at Nou Camp, where the Blues, against all expectations conquered the great Lionel Messi and co.

Drogba’s contribution in the nerve-shredding win over Napoli saved English football from the embarrassment of not having a quarter finalists in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1996. Drogba struck first for Chelsea, who overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg in Italy to beat Napoli 4-1 at Stamford Bridge and progress 5-4 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16.

He also gave Chelsea a precious 1-0 victory, which the Blues took to the Nou Camp for the Champions League semi-final second leg against holders, FC Barcelona. In that match, the Catalans dominated possession as well as creating more chances, but it was Drogba’s strike in first-half injury time that made the difference. Drogba also played a key role in Chelsea’s FA Cup victory last year.

When the Confederations of African Football gave the African Footballer of the Year award to Yaya Toure recently in Ghana, many football followers around the world expressed disappointment with the decision. To them, Drogba beat Toure to most titles last season apart from the English Premier League.

With the stage set for the 2013 Nations Cup contest in South Africa, Drogba’s fans are hoping that the Elephants will get their act rights this time around to give their hero (Drogba) a befitting last outing in the Nations Cup.