Max-Alain Gradel played his final match with the Ivorian national team on Saturday against Benin (2-2). Scoring the first equalizing goal, the former Toulouse player made a successful exit. Tributes continue to pour in, and Franck Kessié (former Barcelona player) has also expressed his.
The player who took over the armband from Gradel upon his substitution was particularly effusive about his elder. “Thank you for everything, you gave it your all! I had the chance to play alongside you in the national team for 10 years, and I learned a lot. The big brother, the leader, the conqueror, the fighter, the determined… Your advice, your openness to others, the respect you show to everyone, we will miss that. Your laughter during initiation rituals, your ‘attachments’, your Facebook Lives too… My respects to the two-time AFRICAN CHAMPION Max Alain Gradel. Enjoy your international retirement, you deserve it,” shared the Al-Ahli FC player on his social media.
3rd most capped player
With 113 appearances and 18 goals for the Elephants, Max-Alain Gradel is the third most capped player in the history of the Ivorian national team, which he joined in 2011. The Leicester-trained player, now a former captain of the Elephants, ranks just behind Didier Zokora (123) and Kolo Touré (120). A legend of Ivorian football, the Abidjan-born native, who now plays for Gaziantep in Turkey, has won the AFCON in 2015 and 2023 after reaching the final in the 2012 edition. The 36-year-old left winger was notably named in the AFCON 2015 Team of the Tournament in Equatorial Guinea. A successful international career and a well-deserved retirement!
