Ivory Coast

Famous Ivorian People: Ivorian Footballers/Soccer Players

The following Ivorian athletes dedicated themselves in promoting and inspiring people about football, one of the most well-loved sports in the world.

Yaya Touré
Gnégnéri Yaya Touré, commonly known as Yaya Touré, is an Ivoirian footballer who currently plays for Manchester City. He is a midfielder renowned for coupling physical power with great technique. Traditionally a defensive midfielder, he has been used more as an attacking midfielder by his coach Roberto Mancini at Manchester City. He was the first player from Cote d’Ivoire to play for FC Barcelona. Yaya Touré represented the Cote d’Ivoire national team in their first appearance in a FIFA World Cup, in the 2006 competition as well as in 2010. He is the younger brother of his Cote d’Ivoire and Manchester City teammate Kolo Touré. He also has a younger brother named Ibrahim who currently plays for Makasa.

Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivoirian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Cote d’Ivoire national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea’s sixth highest goal scorer of all time. His key attributes include his physical strength, ability in the air, and his power to retain possession of the ball.

Romaric
Christian Koffi Ndri, commonly known as Romaric is an Ivoirian football midfielder who plays for Sevilla FC and the Cote d’Ivoire national team. Romaric is a versatile player, able to operate in defense and attack as well as midfield, although he is usually a playmaker.

Emmanuel Eboué
Emmanuel Eboué is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Premier League club Arsenal and the Cote d’Ivoire national team. His natural position is at right back, but he is also used in various other positions. Eboué debuted for Cote d’Ivoire in 2004 and has generally been regular fixture in defense, along with former teammate Kolo Touré. On the 18th November 2009, Eboué scored his first goal for Ivory Coast in a 2–2 draw against Germany. He was named in Sven Goran Eriksson’s Cote d’Ivoire squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Didier Zokora
Alain Didier Zokora-Déguy is an Ivoirian footballer who plays the position of midfielder. He joined the La Liga team Sevilla FC in the summer of 2009. Zokora plays in a defensive role and is a strong tactical player in the middle of the park.

Kolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré is an Ivoirian professional footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Manchester City and he is also the vice-captain of the team. He plays internationally for the Ivoirian national team. Touré is a central defender. He is the elder brother of Manchester City teammate Yaya Touré and Makasa’s Ibrahim Touré.