ISL: FC Pune captain Zokora knows what it takes

PUNE: FC Pune City's Didier Zokora of Ivory Coast is not just a proven midfielder, but he knits one important element within the ISL franchisee - the team bonding.
"The first week of training in Turkey was difficult," said the 34-year-old African. "The Indian and foreign players were in separate groups and remained aloof. I then started meeting all of them, made friends and got them together." No big surprise then that the team management made Zokora the captain of the second edition of ISL, ahead of Romanian marquee player Adrian Mutu.The second edition of ISL starts next Saturday (October 3) with Pune's first home game on October 5.
"I am privileged to get the captain's armband," said Zokora. "I know cricket is the No. 1 sport in India. I want to do something different here because that's what have come here for.
"I have come here to win the ISL. Our team has the quality and potential to win it." He is the most capped player for Ivory Coast and has played in three World Cups starting with 2006, the year Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever.
Zokoro, one of nine siblings from humble of family background, sports a number of tattoos on his body, indicating how much he values people close to him.
Zokora describes the football success of his country in poignant manner and with inspiring tone. He attributes his and the team's rise in international football to a former French international Jean-Marc Guillou who arrived at club ASEC Mimosas in 1993.
The Frenchman opened a youth academy wing Academie MimoSifcom where he selected raw but outstanding talents from the streets of Africa which included Zokora who was just 13 then.
The others who got selected were to become famous names later: Boubacar 'Copa' Barry, Gilles Yapi Yapo, Siaka Tiene, Abdoulaye Djire, Venance Zeze and Aruna Dindane.
This young squad created history when, as juniors (17-18 years old), they replaced the entire senior squad of ASEC Mimosas and defeated Esperance Sportive de Tunis to win the CAF Super Cup in 1999.
Yaya Toure, Gervinho, Etienne Arthur Boka, Romaric, Emmanuel Eboue, Kalou brothers ­ Bonventure and Salomon are also products of ASEC Mimosas.