ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Penpix of Ivory Coast's 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa: 1-Boubacar Barry (Lokeren, Belgium). Goalkeeper. Born December 30 1979. Caps 44. Goals 0. Part of the squads for the last three Nations Cup finals and the World Cup in Germany four years ago, where he made a single appearance and has been the first choice ever since. Has won an award in Belgium for his goalkeeping and had a stint in France. 23-Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Abidjan). Goalkeeper. Born November 13 1984. Caps 4. Goals 0. A surprise call-up for a keeper blamed for a loss to South Africa in 2003 that cost a place in the Nations Cup finals. Has not played for the Elephants in the seven years since. 16-Aristide Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya, Israel). Goalkeeper. Born December 30 1981. Caps 6. Goals 0. Made the unusual move from an Egyptian club to an Israeli one at the start of the season, making his debut for Maccabi Netanya in October after transferring from El Shorta. He is likely to be the second choice in South Africa. 22-Souleymane Bamba (Hibernian, Scotland). Defender. Born January 13 1985. Caps 16. Goals 2. His defensive calamities cost the Ivorians at the Nations Cup in Angola. Has experience at the Olympic Games and the World Youth Championships. 3-Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart, Germany). Defender. Born April 2 1983. Caps 54. Goals 1. Began his career at ASEC Abidjan's fabled academy and was among the first wave of players to leave for Beveren in Belgium under the tutelage of Frenchman Jean-Marc Guillou. Spent a few seasons at Racing Strasbourg before joining VfB Stuttgart, where he helped to win the Bundesliga in 2007. 2-Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes, France). Defender. Born November 28 1986. Caps 7. Goals 1. Home-grown talent who played at Abidjan's Africa Sports before moving to Hungary in 2006. He was an Olympian in 2008 at the football tournament of the Beijing Games and in January this year moved to Valenciennes. 20-Guy Demel (Hamburg SV, Germany). Defender. Born June 13 1981. Caps 24. Goals 0. Paris-born fullback who has spent most of his career in the German Bundesliga but is now set to return to France, where Monaco is his likely destination. Was signed by Arsenal as a promising youngster a decade ago but spent just one season there without impressing Arsene Wenger. 21-Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal, England). Defender. Born June 4 1983. Caps 41. Goals 1. Started his career as striker and it shows in his attacking approach, sometimes from deep in defense but also as frequently from midfield. The Ivorians usually use him as a right back. Played in the 2004 Belgian Cup final before moving to Arsenal, where he appeared for them in both the 2006 Champions League final and the League Cup against Chelsea, and Drogba, in 2007. 6-Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic, England). Defender. Born February 8 1981. Caps 8. Goals 3. A move to England in January, and just a handful of games, has been enough to win him back a place in the preliminary squad after he did not compete in a single qualifier for the 2010 World Cup finals. At his previous club, Borussia Moenchengladbach, he was sent down to the reserves. 17-Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes, France). Defender. Born February 11 1982. Caps 56. Goals 2. Left-sided wing back who has been a consistent squad member since his debut in 2000. He has played in several crucial matches for the side but did not get into the squad for the last World Cup finals in Germany. 4-Kolo Toure (Manchester City, England). Defender. Born March 19 1981. Caps 80. Goals 2. Made his international debut aged 19 a year after announcing his arrival in the famous teenage team that won the 1999 African Super Cup for ASEC Abidjan. With Arsenal he won a Premier League championship and FA Cup but moved on to Manchester after a dressing-room bust-up with France's William Gallas. 12-Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco, France). Midfielder. Born March 15 1983. Caps 5. Goals 0. Expressed surprise at his own inclusion in the squad, although he was at the Nations Cup finals in Angola, albeit as a squad member who never came off the bench. A former captain of the Ivorian under-20 side, he has played in Morocco and Israel. 18-Abdelkader Keita (Galatasaray, Turkey). Midfielder. Born August 6 1981. Caps 54. Goals 11. Spent two seasons with Olympique Lyon after they paid 18 million euro for him from Lille in 2007. He went to Turkey in July where he has not made the expected impact. Played in Tunisia and Qatar before moving to Lille. 14-Emmanuel Kone (International Curtea Arges, Romania). Midfielder. Born December 31 1986. Caps 11. Goals 0. Stepped in to help the national side at the start of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers when the side suffered a serious injury crisis. Played in the Champions League with Romanian surprise package Cluj but clashes with his coaches led to him being loaned out this season.. 10-Gervais Yao Kouassi (Lille, France). Midfielder. Born May 27 1987. Caps 15. Goals 3. Better known as Gervinho and goes to the World Cup as one of the Ivorians' form players, helping Lille to an unlikely Champions League berth for next season after a storming run at the end of this Ligue 1 season. Gervinho contributed 13 goals for his club this season. 13-Christian Koffi Ndri (Sevilla, France). Midfielder. Born June 4 1983. Caps 29. Goals 2. Otherwise known as 'Romaric', he made a surprisingly quick recovery from a horrific car smash in 2005 to be included in the squad for the 2006 Nations Cup tournament in Egypt. But there was an outcry when he got left out of the squad for the 2010 finals in Angola. 9-Cheik Ismael Tiote (FC Twente, Netherlands). Midfielder. Born June 21 1986. Caps 9. Goals 0. Fresh from winning the Dutch league with Steve McClaren's side, where he played a significant role in their success. Forced his way into the starting line-up with the national side at the Nations Cup in Angola in January. 19-Yaya Toure (Barcelona, Spain). Midfielder. Born May 13 1983. Caps 49. Caps 5. Younger brother of Kolo Toure, who is also originally from the ASEC Abidjan academy. He threatens to overshadow his brother with his role in midfield, where his imposing presence and calmness on the ball mark him out. There has been some irritation however at his lack of playing time for Barca in crucial games. 5-Didier Zokora (Sevilla, Spain). Midfielder. Born December 14 1980. Caps 85. Goals 1. Ivory Coast's most capped international and backbone of the side, with his no-nonsense role at the heart of the midfield. The highly rated hard man joined Belgium's Racing Genk in 2000 and helped the provincial side to win the league title in 2002 before moving to France, then England and now Spain. 15-Aruna Dindane (Lekhwiya). Forward. Born Nov. 26 1980. Caps 57. Goals 18. He was the original strike partner for Drogba but a run of injuries in recent years left him sidelined. He tragically had to leave the team which was competing at the 2006 Nations Cup finals when his young daughter died. During his time at Anderlecht, he was voted the best player in the Belgian league. 7-Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys Berne, Switzerland). Forward. Born December 31 1987. Caps 6. Goals 1. Prolific scorer for Young Boys on their way to the Swiss league title this season, meaning it is impossible to again leave him out of the squad. He was dropped from the team for the 2010 Nations Cup finals when he was deemed too inexperienced, even though he had scored two months before in a friendly against Germany. 11-Didier Drogba (Chelsea, England). Forward. Born March 11 1978. Caps 67. Goals 43. Reigning African Footballer of the Year who is the talisman of a side perhaps too dependent on his form and fitness. A late injury looks likely to cost him his participation. Drogba was to have postponed surgery to play in South Africa, his fifth successive tournament that the Ivorians have qualified for. Top scorer in England this season as Chelsea won the Premier League title back from rivals Manchester United. 8-Salomon Kalou (Chelsea, England). Forward. Born August 5 1985. Caps 31. Goals 10. Had high hopes of playing at the last World Cup finals for the Dutch. He was on the books of Feyenoord at the time and made a legal bid for citizenship, encouraged by Dutch coach Marco van Basten, but was stymied by the Netherlands' strict laws. The Ivorians disowned him at the time only to hand him a debut nine months later. (Compiled by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg) (Editing by Jon Bramley; To query or comment on this story email [email protected])
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