Names define us. They represent us and primarily tell the world who we are, what we stand for, and what we are about. In Africa, our names carry a lot of meaning.
As we approach the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire 2023, it is imperative that CafOnline.com takes a close look at the nicknames of all the 24 teams that will be taking part in this year's edition.
These names speak to the spirit of the teams, to the core celebration of the people back home who hold the pride of the nation dear to their hearts, and they ultimately celebrate the patriotic essence that comes with wearing national team colors.
It should be noted that most of these nicknames have immense attachment to the tourism aspect of the countries - from wild animals to national symbols to iconic geographical locations.
The variety speaks to the never-ending attachment that cuts across.
Below are the monikers in the teams in Group A
COTE D'IVOIRE - The Elephants
The host nation derives its name from the elephant. The ivory tusks on the largest mammal give it a graceful yet conquering demeanor that sets it apart. Côte d'Ivoire used to be one of the biggest exporters of ivory given the large population of African elephants.
Their national football team has since embraced this name - the Elephants with so much pride and carried the spirit of the elephant to every tournament.
It is no doubt, therefore, that Côte d'Ivoire has produced some of the biggest names to ever grace the AFCON like Laurent Pokou, Joel Tiehi, Didier Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou, and Didier Zokora to mention but a few.
NIGERIA - The Super Eagles
The characteristics of eagles range from courage to bravery, then pride and grace. What all these have in common is a never-give-up sense of worthiness and a posture that is always looking to stand out.
This description can, in more ways than one, define any name you think about first when one talks about Nigerian football.
From the great Rashid Yekini to Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh, Nwankwo Kanu, Jay Jay Okocha (so good that they named him twice), and all the way to Daniel Amokachi, John Obi Mikel, and the reigning CAF Player of the Year Vincent Osimhen. Graceful with the ball, always brave to take risks while standing tall to remind all that Nigeria is a powerhouse.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA- Nzalang Nacional
Thunder comes with force. It announces itself as the power that is in charge of that moment when it appears. For Equatorial Guinea, the nickname National Thunder is meant to scare the opponents and anyone who wants to doubt them whatsoever.
It is this very energy that they arrived at the AFCON with on their debut back in 2012 when they co-hosted with neighbors Gabon. If anyone doubted them, that was at their own peril. They saw off Libya 1-0 in their opener before going on to defeat Senegal 2-1 to reach the quarterfinals.
Their second appearance was when they hosted the 2015 edition - alone this time only to better their previous performance reaching the semi-finals. After two draws with Congo and Burkina Faso, they defeated Gabon 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals where they stunned Tunisia 2-1 after extra time.
A thunder-like Javier Balboa brace in the 93rd and 102nd minutes caught the Tunisians off guard to send the hosts to a historic semi-final against Ghana. This same spirit was carried to the last edition two years ago when they finished second in Group E that had the reigning champions at the time - Algeria who finished bottom. An Esteban Fernandez lone goal handed Equatorial Guinea a famous victory that will be remembered for a long time.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
This is the spirit that they hope to carry to Côte d'Ivoire for their fourth-ever appearance.
GUINEA BISSAU - Djurtus
Djurtus means an African wild dog in the Portuguese-influenced Creole spoken by the majority of citizens. Considered to be the largest wild canine on the continent, Guinea Bissau is very clear on the message that they want sent out there to their opponents.
The Djurtus love to hunt, and Baciro Cande's side has already shown that they can do exactly that. They beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria 1-0 in the qualifiers to hand the three-time CAF AFCON champions their only loss at home in the qualifiers, thanks to a Mama Balde lone goal.
They are not scared of anyone and will be looking to replicate that when the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire 2023 gets underway this month.
