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Laba: Al Ain star wants to emulate Adebayor, Coubadja
The 28-year-old forward wants to follow the example set by Togolese football icons who have featured in the Fifa World Cup
Kodjo Laba says he wants to follow in the footsteps of Togo’s most notable luminaries Emmanuel Adebayor and Mohamed Coubadja by playing and scoring at the Fifa World Cup.
The 28-year-old striker who plays for Al Ain made his international debut for the Hawks in 2016 and has gone ahead to score 12 goals in 24 appearances for the West African nation.
His country’s only outing was at Germany 2006 – where they failed to get past the group stage – with Coubadja scoring their only goal against South Korea.
Inspired by the duo, Laba is keen to get his international career to another level by leading Togo to the 2022 global football showpiece in Qatar as well as finding the net in that competition.
“I was inspired by many players when I was young, but if I were to choose one, it’d be Adebayor. He’s a source of inspiration for all Togolese because he was lucky to play with major clubs in Europe,” he told Fifa website.
“There’s also Coubadja, who scored many goals with the team, particularly the wonderful strike at the World Cup. He’s a big name in Togolese football. And because he was an attacker like me, I always try to emulate him. I’m lucky to have met him a few times as he offered me a lot of advice.”
Coubadja’s influence on Laba is such that the latter reproduces the dance the former national team player performed after scoring against Korea Republic in Frankfurt.
“It’s called the Agbadja dance and it’s well known where I’m from. It allows me to celebrate in the style of Coubadja, like after I scored in the [2019] CAF Confederation Cup final against Egypt’s Zamalek,” he continued.
“First, I’m dreaming of qualifying for the World Cup for the second time in the history of our country. As an attacker, I’ll do everything I can to make my mark on this tournament. If I get the chance to play at the World Cup and to score, I’ll dance the way Coubadja did."
Claude Le Roy's men are zone in Group H alongside Congo, Namibia and Senegal with the group winner adancing to the third round of qualifiers.
