From defender Kolo Habib Toure lifting the 2015 trophy to Didier Drogba’s iconic “Elephant” celebration after scoring, and the faces of football legends like the late Laurent Pokou and the departed Cheick Tiote, vibrant murals around the earthen Tréichville Municipal Stadium in the heart of Abidjan tell the story of football in Ivory Coast, winners of the African Cup of Nations twice.
As part of the preparations for hosting the African Cup of Nations between February 13 and 11, for the second time after 1984, students from an art school in Abidjan crafted murals around the stadium.
Notably, a colossal mural featuring Chelsea’s English captain, Drogba, who led his nation to three consecutive World Cup appearances in 2006, 2010, and 2014, caught the eye of civil engineer Eric Aka (27 years old).
He described the murals to “AFP” as “joyful artworks narrating the story of football in our country and highlighting its icons.”
Aka: Images Include Elite Players from the African Continent
Aka pointed out, with clear design, “especially the players born here in Tréichville or in Ivory Coast in general, who later joined the national team.”
He gestured towards a small image of Borussia Dortmund’s German striker and Ivory Coast’s own, Sebastien Haller, born in the suburbs of Paris.
He highlighted a giant image of the Ivorian football legend from the sixties and seventies, Laurent Pokou, who remained the all-time top scorer in the African Cup of Nations for decades with 14 goals, scored in just two editions, 1968 and 1970, over four participations.
Cameroonian Eto’o Breaks Pokou’s Historical Record
His record stood until Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o broke it by scoring his fifteenth goal in the finals in Ghana in 2008, before reaching a total of 18 goals.
However, Pokou, born in Tréichville and a star of French club Rennes, still holds another unique record in the tournament’s history – being the only player to score five goals in a single match, achieved against Ethiopia in 1970.
A Gesture to Honor and Educate the New Generations about Pokou
Aka expressed enthusiastic admiration for the mural depicting Pokou seated, holding his hands to his chest, stating that it “represents everything he contributed to Ivorian football, especially in Tréichville, where he passed on a lot of knowledge to us.
He trained people like Cheick Tiote and Siko Cisse and many others who joined the national team. It’s a gesture to honor his memory and introduce him to the new generations.”
Another mural captures player Cheick Tiote, who won the 2015 championship and played for several European clubs, notably Newcastle United in England during the peak of his career (2010-2017).
Tiote passed away at the age of 30 in June 2017 due to a heart attack during a training session with his club in China.
