Abidjan (AFP) – New Ivory Coast coach Marc Wilmots on Thursday tempted Salomon Kalou out of international retirement and recalled fellow striker Seydou Doumbia in a 27-man squad to face the Netherlands and Guinea next month.
Hertha Berlin’s Kalou had quit the national team after defending champions Ivory Coast crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations this year in the first round.
Doumbia, who plays in Switzerland at Basel, had been a long-term absentee from international duty.
The African side face the Dutch in a friendly on June 4 and Guinea in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier five days later.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbohouo (TP Mazembe/COD) Axel Kacou (Tours/FRA), Mandé Sayouba (Stabaek/NOR), Ali Badra Sangaré (AS Tanda/CIV), Abdoul Karim Cissé (SC Gagnoa/CIV)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Paris SG/FRA), Mamadou Bagayoko (St Truiden/BEL), Eric Bailly (Man Utd/ENG), Simon Deli (Slavia Prague/CZE), Lamine Koné (Sunderland/ENG), Ismaël Traoré (Angers/FRA), Wilfried Kanon (ADO Hague/NED), Adama Traoré (FC Bâsel/SUI), Joris Gnagnon (Rennes/FRA), Ghislain Konan (Guimaraes/POR)
Midfielders: Cheick Doukouré (Metz/FRA), Franck Kessié (Atalanta/ITA), Geoffroy Serey Dié (FC Basel/SUI), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz/GER), Jean Michaël Séri (Nice/FRA)
Attackers: Nicolas Pépé (Angers/FRA), Maxwell Cornet (Lyon/FRA), Giovanni Sio (Rennes/FRA), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace/ENG), Jérémie Boga (Grenada/ESP), Salomon Kalou (Hertha Berlin/GER), Seydou Doumbia (FC Bâsel/SUI).
