Cote d’Ivoire striker
Salomon Kalou believes that  playing in the 2015 CAF African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea without experienced striker Didier Drogba is like Barcelona playing without Lionel Messi.
The former Asec Abidjan man, who now stars for Lille, spoke about the loss of Drogba, who retired from the Elephants national side, a move he said will likely leave a void upfront for the West African team.
“It’s difficult to imagine (life after Drogba) but it’s a little like if you tried a few years ago to imagine Barça without Ronaldinho and Real without Zinedine Zidane, and yet today we have Messi and Ronaldo,” the 29-year-old told Tidesports source.
“Both teams always have new players who come in and take over.
“Today, (Samuel) Eto’o and Drogba represent not just Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon but the success of an entire continent, and they’ve set an example for youngsters across the whole of Africa.
“And not just in football, the fact that they experienced success with their countries and also the big clubs they’ve played for has opened doors for all of us.”
Kalou was speaking ahead of their Afcon opener against Guinea yesterday and the ex-Chelsea man shared his impressions in camp.
“Everyone got  prepared for it, people talked about nothing else, (they) got together and checked  the TV works,” added Kalou.
“People decorate their homes and everyone wears orange capes and orange shirts.
“They always do everything they can from home to push our country towards victory – it’s a huge party, and you see everyone in the streets dressed in orange, white and green.
“People organise evenings to watch games together and there are parties and music.”
Herve Renard’s men took on Syli Nationale (National Elephants) in their Afcon opener at Estadio de Malabo yesterday evening.