The two veterans of the Ivory Coast national football team, Max-Alain Gradel and Serge Aurier, once again made headlines during their team’s recent victory in the Coupe d’Ivoire final. Africa of Nations. For these two experienced players, this is a second consecration as African champions, an achievement of which they are extremely proud.
Max-Alain Gradel, aged 36, and Serge Aurier, aged 31, were both present in the team during Ivory Coast’s historic victory in 2015. They wrote their names in the annals of Ivorian football by being the only players in the history of the national team to have won the African Cup of Nations twice.
Asked after the final, Max-Alain Gradel spoke enthusiastically: “It’s crazy. It’s magnificent. It’s incredible to be twice African champion. It’s important to underline that.” His joy is palpable, and he fully savors this historic moment.
For his part, Serge Aurier wanted to highlight the hard 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. Many young people were having their first African Cup of Nations and they lived this experience as we lived it in 2015. They are now African champions and will continue to dream in their clubs.”
The question now is whether these two players will decide to end their international careers with this home victory. Asked about the subject, Max-Alain Gradel responds with humor: “If this is my last African Cup of Nations? Let me savor that. You’re already looking for me there! We’ll have time to think. I’m someone someone who doesn’t like to make decisions on the spot. We’ll see what needs to be done in the future.”
In the meantime, Max-Alain Gradel and Serge Aurier can boast of having written their names in the history of Ivorian football by becoming the only double African champions of the national team. A success that will remain forever engraved in their memory.