Brazilian Elephant: The Olympic captain's skills live up to his samba nickname [GALLO/GETTY]

The young striker is looking to Drogba for inspiration as he attempts to burst onto the international scene in Angola – and even go on to fill the big Chelsea forward's boots.

"Players like Didier and Salomon Kalou are a great inspiration for us, we try to follow their example," Gervinho told Al Jazeera from the training pitch at French Ligue 1 side Lille.

"Didier is not just a great player for Côte d'Ivoire but for all of Africa – he represents the vast talent that there is in the continent."

Drogba will need little introduction when he steps on the pitch in Luanda in January.

But who is Gervinho?

For anyone taking half an interest in last year's Beijing Olympics football tournament, Lionel Messi was the one to watch.

Barca threat

The little Argentine genius, one of the two most gifted attacking players in the world, was only involved because of a last-minute deal between Argentina and his club Barcelona, who had threatened to keep him in Spain for the start of the domestic season.

While witnessing Messi's magic in the colours of the Albicelestes proved an honour for those covering the Games, even that could not prepare us for the high-octane arrival in orange of what was surely a superstar in the making.

The date was August 7, 2008, and the match was Argentina against Côte d'Ivoire in Shanghai.

And "Gervinho" was the name on everyone's lips.

Real name Gervais Yao Kouassi, he formed the spearhead of an unfeasibly swift and powerful attacking triangle alongside Feyenoord's Sekou Cisse and Chelsea's Kalou to repeatedly swamp Argentina's defence.

Messi scored the opener and set up a late winner after Cisse had threatened to salvage a draw with a bullet header, but it was captain Gervinho's blistering pace and instant control that had provided the buzz.

Back in France, the 22-year-old moved from Le Mans to Lille for nearly $12million this summer.

Arsenal link

And having been linked with English Premier League giants Arsenal, he hopes the Africa Cup of Nations can get the football world talking about him again as he bids to lift Côte d'Ivoire's first continental trophy in 18 years.

"To participate in an international competition, it gives you plenty of exposure.

"The Africa Cup is very important for us of course – it's the equivalent of the European Championships.

"The last time Côte d'Ivoire won it was 1992 so it's been a long time since we've had any silverware.

"I think we are long overdue."

Gervinho's laid-back and humble mannerisms off the pitch are in marked contrast to the ferocity of his attacking play.

Torn apart

And while he tore apart the likes of Serbia and gave Argentina defenders Pablo Zabaleta and Ezequiel Garay the runaround at the Olympics, he knows he needs to take a step up before mooted moves to Europe's top teams can materialise.

"I'm trying to progress little by little and not take too many steps," he said.

"I am grateful for having the experience to play with these clubs in Europe, and one day I will progress on to major clubs in Europe."

Gervinho tackles Argentina captain Juan Roman Riquelme in Shanghai [GALLO/GETTY]

With continental qualifying married to Fifa World Cup qualification, they can also reach South Africa 2010 with a point against Malawi on October 10.

And while the Elephants are one of the emerging powers in world football, Gervinho – given his name by a Brazilian coach in Abidjan as a youngster – says even stars like Drogba are grounded by a mutual respect in the squad.

"Ghana is a very good team and (current champions) Egypt are also a major threat for us in the Africa Cup. We have to work hard to beat these teams," he said.

"But Côte d'Ivoire is a great mix of superstar players and newcomers, there's no atmosphere of pecking order, and we learn a lot off one another.

"The spirit of the team is its greatest strength."

Interview conducted in French by Phuong-Y Nguyen.