‘He reminds me of Drogba - Emmanuel Eboue warns Ivory Coast defenders to be wary of Osimhen
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Emmanuel Eboue warns Ivory Coast defenders of Osimhen || Imago

‘He reminds me of Drogba - Emmanuel Eboue warns Ivory Coast defenders to be wary of Osimhen

Stephen Oladehinde 14:13 - 11.02.2024

Arsenal and Ivory Coast legend Emmanuel Eboue has warned the Ivorian defenders to prepare themselves for Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen.

Nigeria is set to face Ivory Coast at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan in the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations final. 

The two formidable West African teams will square off against one another for the second time in the current AFCON competition.

On matchday two of the group stage, the Super Eagles defeated the Elephants 1-0 thanks to a game-winning penalty kick from William Troost-Ekong in the 55th minute. 

Eboue sounds warning 

Victor Osimhen, the current African Footballer of the Year, is one Super Eagles player ready to play a significant part in the final as Nigeria looks to defeat Ivory Coast to win their fourth Africa Cup of Nations. 

The Elephants have been warned about the threat posed by Osimhen by Arsenal legend Emmanuel Eboue, who represented Ivory Coast in five Africa Cup of Nations competitions.

Ex-Ivory Coast player Emmanuel Eboue || Imago
Ex-Ivory Coast player Emmanuel Eboue || Imago

Additionally, he compared Chelsea and Ivory Coast great Didier Drogba to Super Eagles number nine. 

Speaking to France 24 on the eve of the final, Eboue said: "He reminds me of Drogba, he has a bit of the same style. Drogba gave his all, weighed a lot on the defence, and Osimhen did the same.

"For a defender, playing against this kind of attacker is difficult: you don't know what he's going to do. When a defender has the ball, he presses it at every moment."

Despite only having one goal in the competition so far, Osimhen has taken more shots than any other player at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with 24.

His contributions and involvement in the Super Eagles' goals have been key to the progress of Nigeria in this tournament.

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