A little more than a year after having chosen to wear the jersey of the Ivory Coast, Sébastien Haller already carries the hopes of an entire country.
Breathtaking on the European scene (ten goals in six C1 matches, a record), the 27-year-old center-forward is the number 1 asset of the Elephants, who begin their 26th continental campaign against Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday (8 p.m. ).
Author of 45 goals in one year since his arrival in Amsterdam during the previous winter transfer window, the slender attacker (1.90 m) passed through the renowned training center of AJ Auxerre panics the counters and offers himself a place among the stars of the 33rd African Cup of Nations.
To discover
Africa Cup of Nations: schedule and results
Africa Cup of Nations standings
"
It is simply monstrous with Ajax Amsterdam, and that makes the Ivory Coast a serious outsider
", remarks the former Togolese international Robert Malm, to the comments of the competition on the antennas of
beinSport.
An "outsider" because Côte d'Ivoire has been in retreat since its second continental title in 2015. And it would be fashionable for the gang to Patrice Beaumelle, the former loyal lieutenant of Hervé Renard, with whom he drove the Elephants at this CAN 2015, to start with a successful performance against Equatorial Guinea before tackling Sierra Leone and Algeria, defending champion and scarecrow of Group C, in eight days.
LiveAlgeria collides with Sierra Leone
13 goals in 20 games with the Bleuets
For this, it will be necessary to pierce the lock of solid Equatorial Guinea, which passed close to the feat during qualifying for the 2022 World Cup play-offs (2 points behind Tunisia). This is the extent of the mission of the Champions League top scorer, who splashed Europe with a quadruple for his very first C1 match, on Sporting's lawn on September 15 (5-1). Since then, Haller confirms by showing all the display of his technical palette, from his head game to his disconcerting technique for his measurements.
So many qualities noticed upstream by Ivorian decision-makers, who courted him from 2020. With Côte d'Ivoire, the former West Ham scored three goals in eight selections, including one in his very first cape against Madagascar on November 12, 2020 (2-1). Before that, the native of Ris-Orangis (Essonne) had scoured all the French youth teams from the U16s to the Espoirs, scoring 13 goals in 20 matches with them. Without ever seeing the next level.
"
This boy, many now regret that he is not in the tricolor jersey,
said Robert Malm
.
He waited, he waited before the Ivory Coast came to hold out its arms to him.
There he did not hesitate.
"Asked by
L'Equipe
before the competition, the person concerned, born of a French father and an Ivorian mother, details the process:"
I arrived at a time when I wanted to experience moments like that, internationally.
They had already come to see me for the Ivory Coast, but I didn't really feel it, and then, finally, I spoke with the new coach.
Then there was the coronavirus, a time for reflection.
It matured.
At the start of the school year, I decided to take the plunge
. ”
African football defender
And since, apart from packages in March and October 2021, Haller meets his obligations with the Elephants "
to give 100%
", while agreeing, still in
L'Equipe,
that "
playing for an African selection involves constraints.
»Constraints which he is ready to overcome to discover the highest international level.
"
Today, it allows him to compete in an international competition and may in the future be a World Cup
", summarizes Robert Malm.
But it will not be for 2022, since the Ivorians were eliminated by Cameroon in the race for the dams, a new example of their decline on the continental scene.
Would we have asked this question to a European player before the Euro?
Sébastien Haller on the lack of respect for African football, at Telegraaf
A scene on which the attacker with an atypical course (Auxerre, Utrecht, Frankfurt, West Ham, Ajax) hopes to count.
He was also one of the quickest to defend the lack of consideration from which Africa suffered when the question of postponement arose.
Asked by the Dutch daily De Telegraaf about his possible participation in the CAN, the Ajax striker replied vigorously: “
this question shows the lack of respect for Africa.
Would we have asked this question to a European player before the Euro?
Of course I'm going to CAN.
"
To read also "This question shows the lack of respect for Africa": Sébastien Haller gets annoyed in front of a journalist about the CAN
In the columns of
L'Equipe,
the person engaged on this lack of respect for African football by attacking the five places out of 32 granted to African nations for the World Cup.
"
How is it possible that Africa has only five teams qualified for the World Cup,
" he asked.
Africa is not respected enough, whether in the Worlds, in the CAN that we play in January, with clubs that are struggling to let their players go.
Things need to be done better.
From Europe and Africa.
On both sides.
The flag bearer of Africa and Côte d'Ivoire is now expected on the ground.
