Keeping it in the family
The last time Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire met in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1992, when it took 120 minutes of football and 24 penalties to separate the two sides. Captaining the Black Stars team in Senegal was Abedi Pele, and Sunday two of his sons will have an opportunity to restore the family pride as they line up against the Elephants in the championship match of the 2015 edition of the tournament.
Amazingly enough, Andre and Jordan Ayew, who both scored in their side's 3-0 semi-final win against the hosts Equatorial Guinea, will meet another pair of brothers in Ivorian duo Kolo and Yaya Toure. FIFA.com looks at the sets of brothers and what they mean to two of Africa's glamour teams.
The Ayew brothers
When asked about that famous final two decades ago, the Ayews have played down comparisons to 1992 and their father. “We are just happy to be in the final, and I am sure that we made the whole country happy. We want to win the game on Sunday not because of 1992, but because we have not won [an AFCON] since 1982”, said Jordan, who scored the opener from the penalty spot shortly before the break.
Jordan and Andre are known for their hard work, and their selflessness when on international duty has been on notable display recently. "When I come to the Black Stars, it is all about the team. When I am in Europe with my club, then my personal aspect matters, but with the national team, it is only the squad that matters,” added Jordan.
Andre, who captained the Black Stars against the hosts in the absence of Asamoah Gyan, said that the final will be open. “Both teams have a chance of winning the match, so it will be very important for us to rest and recuperate before the game. We have a day less than Côte d'Ivoire and would have preferred to have more time to prepare, but a final is a final and we will be ready. We will do everything in our power to bring the trophy. There is no word to describe how much we want to win the trophy.
“People are questioning whether we are ready to lift the trophy again after so many years, but if we were not ready, we would not have beaten Equatorial Guinea in the semi-finals. We are ready.”
The Toure brothers
Yaya has become one of the world's greatest players, but the four-time African footballer of the Year took some time to find his form in this competition. However, the Manchester City midfielder seems to have peaked at the right time. Playing in his sixth AFCON finals, he scored an astonishing goal against the DR Congo in the semi-final and inspired his side to a 3-1 victory.
He has also taken up more of a leadership role since the retirement of Didier Drogba. “Being captain gives me great pride and I need to lead the players. We are here because we want to win the tournament and show people that we are a great country. We have a new generation of players and it is my role to lead these players. I hope to be able to do that in the final,” he said.
Côte d'Ivoire coach Herve Renard was dismissive of criticism that his captain had not played his part in the Elephants' run into the final. "I hear a lot of people saying things about Yaya Toure in Africa, but he's a big player. He showed that to all the people in the semi-final, that suddenly he can change matches. It was an amazing goal".
Both brothers have already been on the losing side in two Africa Cup of Nations finals and are eager to put that disappointment behind them. 33-year-old Kolo, who is two years older than his brother, has announced his plans to retire from the national team at the end of the tournament. “It will be great to end with a victory. We have been waiting for too long and we want to make sure that we can bring the trophy back to Abidjan this time around.”
Irrespective of who wins Sunday's final in the Estadio de Bata, the Ayews or Toures will not be the first brothers to have won the showpiece event of African football. That honor goes to the Vassalo brothers, Italo and Luciano, who are still considered amongst the best Ethiopian footballers ever. Luciano captained the side and Italo scored one of the goals as the Walias won in 1962. Since then, there have been others, like François Omam-Biyik and Andre Kana-Biyik who won with the Indomitable Lions in 1988 and the Katongo brothers Felix and Christopher, who were a part of the 2012 Zambian winning side.
On Sunday the list will be joined by another set of brothers. It remains to be seen whether it is the Ayews or the Toures.