The Côte d'Ivoire midfielder Romaric had predicted that Sven-Goran Eriksson would spring a surprise or two in his 23-man squad, and the Swede did not disappoint. One such unexpected pick was 26-year-old goalkeeper Daniel Yeboah, who finds himself on the plane to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, depriving his ASEC Mimosas team-mate Paul Angban of a slot in The Elephants’ final player pool. Absent from the international scene since 2003 and blamed by fans for a disastrous CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying loss to South Africa, Yeboah has peaked at just the right moment. His decision to return home in 2008 to ply his trade in Abidjan, taken with a view to an international recall, has therefore paid off.
The former Bastia player is no stranger to global competitions, having played three matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2003, a relief for him at the time given his lack of regular football in Corsica. Spells at Villemomble Sports then Creteil, both languishing in France‘s lower divisions, would not see him make the breakthrough in Europe he was hoping for. An excellent shot-stopper, Yeboah heads to South Africa as third-choice keeper on paper, Eriksson preferring Aristide Zogbo as a stand-in for Boubacar Barry, current Côte d'Ivoire No1.
