Nothing less than a triumphant campaign will satisfy the Ivorians, who have seen their nation grow stronger and stronger over the past few years. Rated one of the modest teams until the late 1990s, with only one Nations Cup title under their belt, the Elephants managed to demonstrate they are the team to beat in the region. The renaissance began when Frenchman Henri Michel took charge of Ivory Coast in 2004, transforming Ivory Coast to one of the most feared teams in the Dark Continent. Bringing variety of talents from all over Europe all together and injecting a winning mentality within the squad were key elements of Ivory Coast's success in the following years. Michel's work soon bore fruit when Ivory Coast secured passage to the 2006 World Cup finals for the first time in their history, to give the war-torn country something to cheer about. Consequently, the jubilant Ivory Coast approached the 2006 CAN in Egypt in the best possible way. Their impressive displays continued in Africa's premier competition as they reached the final after overcoming two of the competition's firm favorites: Cameroon and Nigeria. After a battling display in the final, they missed out on winning the tournament for the second time in their history following a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to hosts Egypt. At the World Cup, the Elephants were unfortunate to be drawn along with Argentina and Holland. Despite losing against to both of them, Ivory Coast impressed many with some solid performances in the tournament and grabbed a historic victory against Serbia. Michel handed in his resignation following Ivory Coast's exit from the first round of the World Cup and German manager Uli Stielike took over. The Ivorians were left in a state of worry whether the new man will be able to maintain his predecessor's success. Stielike's first task was to lead the nation to the 2008 ACN in Ghana.
Drogba The mission was easily accomplished, after Ivory Coast topped Group A which featured minnows Gabon and Madagascar. However, the real test is expected to be in Ghana, where Ivory Coast are set to play against Nigeria, Mali and Benin in Group B action. It is true that Ivory Coast are favorites to qualify as the group leaders, but facing opponents such as Nigeria and Mali is never easy. Star player: Didier Drogba The Chelsea prolific striker and the 2006 African Player of the Year shoulder the burden of expectations for the Elephants in the Ghana finals; but it is no surprise, given Drogba's superb record on the club and country fronts. The 29-year-old came through the youth ranks of French club Levallois before moving to Le Mans, who were playing in the French Ligue 2. He earned his first action in the top flight when he joined Guingamp in the 2001/2002 season, scoring 17 goals to help his side occupy seventh place in the league table, their best position in history. His superb form caught the eye of French giants Marseille, who lured him to Stade Velodrome. Drogba again made headlines with an outstanding scoring run. The hitman bagged 29 goals in all competitions with Marseille and led them to second place in the UEFA Cup after they lost to Valencia in the final. Drogba joined Chelsea in July 2004 as the Blues were targeting influential players at the time, inspired by the huge financial backing from the club's Russian owner Roman Abramovich who doled out £24 million, a then club record, for the services of the Ivorian skipper. He played a pivotal role in helping Chelsea secure their first league title since 1955 and defend their title the following year. Chelsea missed out on winning the Premiership for the third consecutive time in the 2006/2007 season, but Drogba finished as the top scorer with 20 goals. On the international level, Drogba score
