Being African champion is good. Being twice is even better! Amid the outpourings of joy from the Ivorians after their victory in their CAN final, Serge Aurier and Max-Alain Gradel particularly savored this moment.
Read also: Ivory Coast wins its CAN by overthrowing Nigeria in the final
The two Elephant grunts are in fact the only two players on the Emerse Fae team to have already experienced this sensation. Now aged 31 for Aurier and 36 for Gradel, they were already in the game in 2015 during the final won by Ivory Coast against Ghana, in Equatorial Guinea.
“Two times African champion, that’s my name”
“It’s crazy. It’s magnificent. It’s incredible,” Max-Alain Gradel told France 24. “Two times African champion, I’m called that from now on. It’s important to underline it."
“I really ask to enjoy this moment, to enjoy it because we don’t know when it will happen again. Maybe in 10, 20, 30, 40 years,” claims Serge Aurier.
The Galatasaray defender especially highlights the work of his younger teammates: “I am proud of this group because everything we did, we did it with the heart and today we are rewarded,” notes the Ivory Coast co-captain. “A lot of young people were experiencing their first CAN and they enjoyed it like we enjoyed it in 2015, and they are African champions. And tomorrow, they will return to their club and will continue to dream.”
Do the double African champions plan to leave with this home victory and retire internationally? “If this is my last CAN? Let me savor that. You’re already looking for me there!”, replies Max-Alain Gradel with a laugh. “We will have time to think. I am someone who does not like to make decisions on the fly. We will see what needs to be done in the future”
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