A few weeks ago I promised to return with some final ruminations on this past February's prestigious Cup of Nations tournament contested in Tunisia. Now where was I....
Oh yes, I wound up that initial look at the tournament by asking for your good wishes in my ongoing quest to wrest that all elusive chicken soup recipe from the steadfast mental clutches of my Mom, the 92 year old chicken soup lady. Despite all your best efforts that recipe remains securely locked in my Mom's steel trap of a mind. But rest assured that my skullduggery continues undaunted!
What all too few people worldwide witnessed at those Tunisian venues was the interesting and never ending blend of the old and the new -- players ready to exit the on field stage of their careers with others using such a highly-regarded tournament to begin stamping their individual indelible imprints on the game.
Then there are those luminaries who, at the peak of their talents, added extra luster and style to the tournament through their very presence on the pitch.
If before the tournament I had predicted that non-pareil Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf would be among those not living up to advance billing Da Ole Emperor would have been accused of losing his regal mind. And who would have blamed you?
After all, this two-time defending African Footballer of the Year was seemingly at the pinnacle of his game. Diouf's talents had landed him a highly lucrative contract with English Premier League side Liverpool where he was expected to match skills up front with the likes of Australian midfielder Harry Kewell and striker Michael Owen. And, along the way, Diouf had managed to become a household name the length and breadth of the African continent.
So much expected, so little realized. In fact, so poor was Diouf's performance that he had many commentators predicting his rapid demise as a top-flight go-to player. Very harsh indeed, with the truth possibly lying part way in between if, indeed, his performance in Tunisia was a true indicator.
Diouf's problem seemed to be as much mental as eroding physical skills. He seemed arrogantly unaware that football is first and foremost a team sport. This attitude has not only put him at odds with teammates but, as importantly, with officials.
All this pent up bad blood came boiling to a head in Senegal's quarterfinal defeat to Tunisia. I won't go into the petulant details. But it's enough to say that Diouf disgraced himself to the point where he's been suspended for Senegal's next four World Cup and African Cup qualifying matches. And to paraphrase an advertising commercial here in Australia: "Not good, El Haji, not good indeed!"
Possibly one of the main indicators that the Senegalese striker's considerable skills might be on the wane was his non-inclusion on the list of contenders for this year's version of Africa's most prestigious individual football honor.
Another player failing to live up to his advanced billing was Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o. But there are those who are willing to overlook the twenty two year old striker's lack of production. After all, they note, Eto'o was under growing intense pressure as he tried to single handedly lift the fortunes of a Cameroon team that entered the tournament either over confident or under prepared. In hindsight, it may well have been a combination thereof that proved Cameroon's undoing in their failed attempt to become the first nation to win three straight African Cups and five overall.
Then there were those either living up to or even exceeding advanced billing. One such player was veteran Nigerian international, Augustine "Jay Jay" Okocha who, like fine wine, seems to only get better with advancing age.
The thirty-year-old Bolton Wanderers star continued to raise eyebrows with his scintillating and always innovative play. In fact, I've been told by eyewitnesses that they've never seen Jay Jay play better.
And is most generally the case, this stellar performance was punctuated with four strategically scored goals, the last coming in Nigeria's two-one victory over Mali to secure third place in the tournament.
Okocha was the undoubted star of the match. Not only did he toy with an increasingly frustrated Malian defense, Okocha scored on a twenty five meter cannon shot of a free kick in the seventeenth minute.
Far from finished, Okocha then set up what proved to be the winning goal just minutes after half time. Employing one of his many strengths, Okocha deftly crossed on to the head of young striker Osaze Odemwingie who did the rest.