The Final Draw will take place at the breathtaking, brand-new Parc des Expositions venue in Abidjan on Thursday 12 October, as the build-up to the 34^th edition of the biggest event on African soil reaches fever pitch.

The draw will start at 19h00 local time/GMT (21h00 CAT, 22h00 Cairo) and will be live on CAF TV (YouTube).

The Final Draw will be beamed in over 50 countries, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to the event on CAF’s Official YouTube channel, as well as across CAF’s Global TV partners.  

Ivorian icon Drogba, Cote d’Ivoire’s all-time top goal scorer with 65 goals in 105 internationals – including the country’s first-ever goal in the FIFA World Cup in 2006 – is the popular hometown hero amongst the stellar Draw Assistants. Drogba scored 11 goals in 24 AFCON games for the Elephants and helped Cote d’Ivoire to two AFCON cup finals in 2006 and 2012.

His former Chelsea teammate Mikel, a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Nigeria and also a three-time AFCON bronze medallist with the Super Eagles, is another big name who will grace the occasion.

The irrepressible Sadio Mane, who scored the winning penalty as Senegal won their first TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations title in Cameroon in 2021, is a revered two-time CAF African Player of the Year who will grace the Final Draw stage in Abidjan. Mane is Senegal’s all-time leading scorer with 38 international goals and has scored eight goals in 18 AFCON games for the Teranga Lions.

Paris Saint Germain right back Hakimi, who was part of the Morocco team that made a historic run to the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final, adds North African star quality to the list of Draw Assistants.

Delegations and the coaches from each of the 24 participating nations, CAF legends, international media, CAF commercial partners, showbiz celebrities and African leaders will be in attendance for the much-anticipated Final Draw, which will well and truly kick-start the final stretch to what is shaping up to the best AFCON ever. 

The Qualified Nations for the Final Draw: 

Cote d’Ivoire (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo DR, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia

Five years ago, the father of the football hero was kidnapped together with his driver, Ishaya John, as they traveled from Jos, Plateau State, to Enugu.

In an interview with Dubai Eye 103.8 Sport, he recalled how he learned of his father’s kidnapping roughly four hours prior to Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup match against Argentina.

He described how a family member instructed him to call the kidnappers on a specific number, which he did and was then told to pay a ransom.

The ex-Chelsea midfielfielder also revealed that although he was saddened by the news, he had to put it aside and play the match.

Below is his narration;

Quote

“I was emotionally distraught and I had to make the decision about whether I was mentally ready to play. I was confused. I did not know what to do but, in the end, I knew that I could not let 180 million Nigerians down. I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first. I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew.

I was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody. I also did not want to discuss it with the coach [Gernot Rohr] because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to him or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game. As much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach, I could not.

The abductors then started calling the families to demand a ransom of N10 million but the operatives acting on intelligence information swooped on them. A gun duel ensued which forced the hoodlums to abandon their victims inside the forest and they were promptly rescued.

They [the kidnappers] said listen, we know, it is Mikel he would pay. If he doesn’t, we are going to shoot his dad. They said they had nothing to lose. They would shoot my dad and dump him somewhere.

It was horrible. After the game, I got back on the phone, tried to negotiate with them and spoke with them. They were calling some ridiculous amount of money for a start, and in the end, I still had to pay some crazy amount of money to get my dad out.

Even now, I still go through it. Even when I got a flashback, I had to speak to the guys on the phone. There was a gunpoint at his head. They said they would shoot him, kill him. I have not told my kids about it, but a few months ago, they looked at my phone and saw the news about it. Obviously, I have not told them about it because they are young kids, 7 years, but one day when they grow up, I will be able to share the story with them.”

After joining the Premier League side from Lyon in 2005 for a £24.4 million club-record fee under Jose Mourinho, Essien became one of the best players to have ever played for the Blues.

Mikel and Essien won several titles during their playing days in the Premier League.

Speaking about the former Ghana international, Mikel said Essien was a monster in training and described him as a powerful machine.

READ ALSO

• Michael Essien completes Uefa License A course

• I had a crush on Michael Essien – Nigerian writer

“He [Essien] never gets the credit that he deserves. We call him the train in training. He is a powerful machine, the way he trains. Every day he’s there working and working,” the ex-Nigeria captain told Dubai Eye.

“Apart from football, what a gentleman he is. He is the train, he is the bison and that’s what we call him.”

Essien spent almost a decade at Stamford Bridge, helping the Blues to win two Premier League and FA Cup titles, four FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 2012.

The 40-year-old also had stints with Real Madrid and AC Milan before calling time on his career after a brief spell with Azerbaijani side Sabail FK.

Essien recently acquired both the UEFA A and UEFA Elite Youth A licenses.

The midfielder, who retired last week at the age of 35, was the subject of a bitter dispute between the Red Devils and the Blues in 2005, before signing for the latter the following year.

His decision to move to London, having initially signed for the Manchester side from Norwegian club Lyn Oslo, ultimately proved rewarding.

Mikel became one of the club’s most decorated players, winning the Champions League, Europa League, two Premier Leagues, two League Cups and four FA Cups in an 11-year spell which ended when he left Stamford Bridge in 2017.

“I don’t regret any decision I made because I enjoyed everything I achieved at Chelsea – it’s the best decision I have ever made in my life,” Mikel told BBC Sport Africa.

“I signed a pre-contract for Manchester United when I was 17. If you are a kid and you see Sir Alex Ferguson right in front of you with the contract, of course you will be tempted.”

Having made plenty of previous running, Chelsea were shocked when he signed for their rivals. His agent John Shittu immediately travelled to Oslo to take the player to London, while Lyn swiftly declared him missing.

The news was all over Norwegian TV, with erroneous reports Mikel had been kidnapped.

“I acted as a young kid and as soon as Chelsea heard the news, they came and got me out of Norway,” recalled the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner.

“That’s when people started saying that I was kidnapped. It wasn’t a great moment for me then. I just wanted to play football because I was so young.”

The 35-year-old started his career as an attacking midfielder and was undoubtedly one of the best in that role at youth level.

He shot to limelight as a traditional number 10 behind the strikers with Nigeria’s Under-17 and Under-20 sides, helping the latter reach the final of the 2005 U20 World Cup.

Switching roles

After winning the Silver Ball at that tournament in the Netherlands, Mikel completed his protracted switch to Chelsea a year later.

Blues Boss Jose Mourinho converted the Nigerian into a holding midfielder – a role he played throughout his stay at the West London club but one which much to the disdain of football fans at home.

They watched Mikel thrive as an attacking midfielder, with many critical of his new role at Chelsea, but Mikel insists he had no issues with the switch to becoming a defensive player.

“Mourinho decided that he wanted me to play the defensive midfield position. At the end of the day, he is the coach and made the decision,” Mikel recalled.

“We discussed and he felt that because of the big midfield players he had in his squad at Chelsea that I should play the defensive midfield role.

“[Claude] Makelele was just finishing his career at Chelsea, so Mourinho wanted me to take over from Makelele.”

Accomplished footballer

Mikel won 89 caps for Nigeria, played in two World Cups and helped the West Africans win the 2013 Nations Cup, before announcing his retirement from international football three years ago.

Winning the biggest trophies for club and country is something that gives him satisfaction in a career that started in Jos and took him to Norway and China via England, Turkey and Kuwait.

“I always wanted to win the Champions League because it is the best football tournament in the world apart from the World Cup,” he added.

“To then win something with the national team was great. As a kid watching the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu, I said I want to win something with the national team.

“I am so happy to have managed to do that. I will rank both of them top as my most cherished trophies.”

Mikel was also one of Nigeria’s three over-age players as the African side he was captaining won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

That rewarding trip to South America eventually led to his Chelsea departure, whereupon he joined Chinese side Tianjin TEDA and then had a brief spell at Middlesbrough in 2019.

His time at the Riverside Stadium earned him a recall to the Nigeria squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he only managed two appearances as the Super Eagles finished third in Egypt.

Giving back

After starting out from an academy in Jos, Mikel is keen to create a platform for others to live their dreams, too.

He is ready to use his new ‘Back2Base’ project recently launched in Lagos to help young, talented Nigerians.

“It is a platform where you go to the basics, where I started from, which is playing on the red sand, around stones and hard rocks,” he explained.

“We want to go get these raw talents, these kids that we know can become something in life.”

One of Nigeria’s most decorated footballers, Mikel wants to use his contacts in Europe to give exposure to exceptional players discovered at his academy.

“If any of the talents is up to what we are looking for, then we will definitely provide the chance for them to go abroad,” he said.

“I have been out of Nigeria for so many years, [but] I have my connections. We need to first of all get them to establish themselves here, then we will see who is ready to go over there.”

The midfielder, who lifted the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012, won 89 caps for Nigeria and helped the Super Eagles win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, before retiring from international football in 2019.

The biggest highlights of his career came during 11 trophy-laden years at Stamford Bridge, even if it took him until his 185th game for the club to score his first goal.

He made 249 Premier League appearances in all for the London club, adding the Europa League, two Premier Leagues, four FA Cups and two League Cups to the European crown.

“There is a saying that ‘all good things must come to an end’, and for my professional football career, that day is today,” said Mikel on Instagram.

“I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape.”

Mikel was most recently with Kuwait SC, but left the club last November after just five months.

The midfielder came to international limelight at Norwegian club Lyn Oslo following Man United’s incredible transfer fight with Chelsea for his signature as a teenager.

One of Premier League football’s most confusing signings saw Mikel initially signing for Manchester United in 2005, a year when he won the Silver Ball at the Under-20 World Cup, before later saying he was pressured to do so – having signed just days after turning 18 against “my own free will”.

He ultimately joined Chelsea the following year, staying until 2017 whereupon he played for Chinese side Tianjin Teda and Turkish club Trabzonspor before spells in the Championship with Middlesbrough and Stoke City.

“All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, team-mates and most importantly my ever-loyal fans,” he added.

“You supported me through my highs and lows, even on days that I did not live up to your expectations.

“I say a big thank you.”

Analysis

Oluwashina Okeleji, Nigerian football expert

When officials misspelt his surname (Michael to Mikel) aged 16 before the 2003 Youth World Championship, it opened the first controversial chapter in the life of John Mikel Obi.

The seventh child in a family of eight, he was on the books of Norwegian club Lyn Oslo before the highly-publicised dispute between the Red Devils and the Blues in 2005, with the player skipping training in Norway amidst erroneous reports he had been kidnapped.

His father was kidnapped twice during his career, to Mikel’s immense dismay, but at Chelsea the Nigerian evolved into a holding midfielder of peerless intelligence and insouciance.

He will go down as one of Nigeria’s greatest players, having earned his spot among the country’s most decorated footballers even if he was a polarising figure, equally loved and criticised by demanding fans from Africa’s most populous nation.

He left his mark at two World Cups, won a Nations Cup, captained his country to an Olympic bronze medal (2016) and performed unforgettably at the Under-20 World Cup in 2005, a stage in his career when he was known as a free-scoring box-to-box midfielder.

For Chelsea fans, they will always have that glorious Champions League final night in 2012, when Mikel was named man of the match.

Mikel revealed that Essien, who was nicknamed The Bison for his midfield qualities, was a source of learning and inspiration. He explained that Essien always described him [Mikel] as a good player.

To Mikel, the comments of Essien enabled him to grow in confidence.

“Michael Essien really helped me. Michael always told me I was a good player and just reminded me to bring the ball down, control and pass.

“If you need to dribble, dribble. If you don’t need to, just pass. You are strong. You are fast, too. If you can, just push the ball past and run, run, run because they cannot catch you.

READ ALSO

• Asante Kotoko: Manhyia denies Board Chairman’s resignation

• 2022 WCQ: Andre Ayew reveals why he was dropped against Zimbabwe in Harare

“He was the guy who really helped me and made me have a lot of confidence,” Mikel said in an interview.

Mikel, who joined Chelsea in 2006, made a total of 372 appearances for Chelsea and lifted the Premier League title twice and the 2012 UEFA Champions League title.

He indicates that signing for Chelsea was a move that exposed him to lots of stars one could only dream of.

“Suddenly, I was sharing a dressing room with all these players I had watched on television back in Africa,” Mikel told The Athletic.

“I was sitting next to Lassana Diarra. I would be there thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s Didier Drogba. It’s Frank Lampard. It’s John Terry’,” Mikel said.

The excited dad shared a video of his girls blowing their birthday candles and wrote’;

“Happy 6 birthday to my angels. So proud and so happy to see you two grow up to be the ladies you guys are and want to be. Strong, brave, full of confidence, and most importantly full of joy and happiness. I love you guys so so much and so lucky and proud to be your daddy..my world”.

Below is his post on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mikel Obi (@mikel_john_obi)

The Blues beat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto on Saturday, to be crowned as kings of Europe for the second time in their history.

Kai Havertz’s 42nd-minute effort separated both teams in Portugal.

Mikel Obi, who represented the club for 11 years before departing for China’s Tianjin Teda in 2017, sent his warm messages to his former club.

“Well done boys, we are the blues,” the Stoke City midfielder wrote.

For Didier Drogba, he lauded the team captained by Cesar Azpilicueta for their confidence.

“We believed, they believed,” according to the 43-year-old.

We believed ⭐️ ⭐️ @ChelseaFC @ChampionsLeague ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/2l5EFJFL10

— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) May 29, 2021

The two-time African Player of the Year enjoyed an unforgettable spell with the English club following his move from Olympique Marseille in July 2004 for £24 million.

There, he won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three Carabao Cups and two FA Community Shields.