Ivory Coast’s Football Aspirations are Being Fuelled By the Athletic Academy in Abidjan

Dozens of kids wearing red and green football uniforms are training in the centre of Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, with the only goal of becoming the next Didier Drogba. The Africa Sport Academy is a program that supports young football players who aspire to play for a European team in the future.

The Academy was established by former international footballer Michel Goba, who mentored his nephew, former Chelsea star Didier Drogba, while playing at French clubs in the 1980s.

After being born in the Ivory Coast in 1978, Drogba went to France at the age of five to pursue a football career. During his nine years at Chelsea in England, he scored 164 goals, making him the fourth-highest scorer in the team’s history. Additionally, from 2006 until 2014, he captained the Ivory Coast national football team. Drogba’s success story undoubtedly inspires the academy participants.

The parents of the majority of the players you see here are from Europe. The majority of them are the offspring of parents who played football in the 1970s and 1980s for the Africa Sports Club in Abidjan.

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