By James Robert Kayindi
After beating Borussia Dortmund’s striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama to win the African Player of the Year award for the fourth consecutive time and being the only African player to be on the FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist where he finished 14th, Yaya Toure is up for another big test to show that indeed he is and deserves to be the called Africa’s best player.
Being the captain of the Elephants, Yaya Toure has to live up to the expectations of his fans and the country at large. Toure scored only two goals during the qualification campaign against Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but says he is eager and would want to win Africa’s biggest tournament. With age also catching up on him, he is one of the players that have impressed more in the diaspora than back at home.
“Before I retire I really want to win something with my country. I hope that Herve Renard will take us as far as possible,” Yaya said.
Ivory Coast is under the charges of Herve Renard, a coach that is so conversant with African football after guiding Zambia to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012 when they edged Ivory Coast in the finals.
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