World Cup 2014: Aura-oozing Didier Drobga is not just a symbol of reverence but also one of reference
Striker has revolutionised role of Ivorian captaincy from alpha male-posturing, gesticulating and exchanging pennants with opposition, into something rather more.
In the Ivory Coast, he is off limits. The moment the civil war ended propelled him from a very good footballer to the avatar of the Ivory Coast as a whole.
Men wanted to be him, women wanted to be with him. For all the omnipotence, though, there is no doubt that the seismic, storied career of Didier Drogba, the oldest member of the golden generation and undisputed leader, has reached an autumnal stage.
Drogbacite, as he is affectionately known as to his team-mates, is now 36. The muscles have stiffened.
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The reflexes have slowed. Defeats in foot races are a recurring theme. Insipid performances that would have once been forgiven and forgotten are now interpreted as a memento mori as his predicament distances itself from the physical prowess of his prime.
His spell in China and a lack of a pre-season were the explanations for his string of underwhelming performances in last year's Cup of Nations.
Yet, despite self-sanctioning temporary retirement last year in order to rediscover his form at club level with Galatasaray, what used to be swept off as merely bad form has rendered to acceptance that it's terminal decline.
In the second leg of the World Cup play-off versus Senegal in November, he was not so much as a player on the pitch as an onlooker before he wearily gave away a penalty which put Les Elephants in serious danger of not qualifying for the World Cup.
The rationale for Sabri Lamouchi would be to shepherd him to the periphery, to ease Ivory Coast's transition and long-term future and make them more fluid in attack.
The candidates jostling for his throne - Lacina Traore, Wilfried Bony and Seydou Doumba – are far from mundane options to have; Traore has been the long-term heir while Bony and Doumbia are two of Europe's most dead-eyed strikers in recent seasons.
Drogba, however, is not just a symbol of reverence but also one of reference. In the prelude to the 2010 World Cup, Sven Goran Eriksson explained that "with not just his skill, but his charisma and presence, Drogba sets the tone for us", and that still very much remains the case. After all, this Ivorian team is unofficially dubbed Generation Drogba.
On the pitch, reminiscent to the role he played for Chelsea, their 4-3-3 system has been tailored for him to spearhead for more than a decade. His half-time entrance in this month's friendly with Belgium saw him pull a goal back and allowed the Ivory Coast play with far more cohesion to escape with a commendable 2-2 draw.
Source : Telegraph.co.uk
Tags: brazil, world cup,drogba,ivory coast
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