Gervinho, at the time a figure of fun at Arsenal, came into the tournament in poor form, and he struggled to overturn his form during the tournament itself. It was the firs tournament as a regular starter for Les Elephants and it would end badly when he missed a penalty kick in the shoot-out in the final.

From AFCON 2012 onwards, though, he never looked back and he has had a child-like enjoyment in playing for his country in action and in words. This goal – the solitary goal and winner in the semi-final versus Mali – provided viewers with what Gervinho was capable of in the ivory Coast jersey, and he has easily been their most consistent performer in the five years since.