Cote d'Ivoire count on central cog Kessie in search of FIFA World Cup first | OneFootball

In football parlance, combative central midfielders are often described as the “heart” of a team.

In the case of Al Ahli’s Franck Kessie, there couldn’t be a more fitting description.

The 29-year-old Ivorian has been a leader for the green half of Jeddah from the moment he stepped foot through the doors in the summer of 2023.

However, it’s not just at club level where Kessie's guidance has been recognised; the same is also true with his national team.

And now, after Cote d’Ivoire’s first victory at a FIFA World Cup since 2014, secured early on Monday thanks to a 90th-minute winner against Ecuador, Les Elephants stand ready to face the might of Germany up next.

Reel off another win in Toronto, Canada on Saturday night, and Cote d’Ivoire will create history by qualifying for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the very first time.

It seems remarkable for such an African powerhouse, who have produced so many incredible footballers - the likes of Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure spring to mind - that they have never made it past the group stages at a global finals.

Equally as surprising, this year marks Cote d’Ivoire’s return to the World Cup after failing to qualify for the past two editions, in Russia and Qatar.

But, now there at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, they are driven forward by their captain fantastic, Kessie.

The Roshn Saudi League star was as industrious as ever in that 1-0 triumph against Ecuador in Philadelphia; the type of display Al Ahli fans have become accustomed to across the past three years.

While the hairstyle, or to be more precise, the hair colour, may change, Kessie’s output rarely does. As witnessed throughout his time at Al Ahli, he is a player that gives 100 percent every time he steps onto the pitch.

And, while silverware in the form of the RSL title hasn’t quite materialised, Kessie was central to the Jeddah giant’s back-to-back successes in the AFC Champions League Elite.

In this year’s final, in a tight and tense affair against Japan’s Machida Zelvia, when Feras Al Buraikan finally broke the deadlock, Kessie wheeled away in wild celebration that, for a moment at least, had people assuming he'd supplied the decisive touch.

Replays showed it was, in fact, Al Buraikan. Yet whether it is him or someone else, the emotion is all the same for Kessie. That team-first nature embodies him as a player.

Kessie might not produce numbers that jump off the page or screen, nor lead any of the supposed key metrics, but he has the intangibles: leadership, mentorship and mentality. Of course, those are almost impossible to quantify on a stats sheet.

Kessie was superb across the entire 2025-26 ACL Elite campaign, and when Al Ahli were at times struggling, such as against Malaysia’s Johor Daul Ta’zim in the quarter-final, it was he who stood tallest. Down a man early on and struggling to find a way through, it was Kessie who drew his side level just before the break.

In the second half, despite playing with 10, Al Ahli dominated, Kessie running the show in midfield, willing his side to victory through grit and determination.

It’s that leadership and quality that saw Kessie ultimately named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, a fitting reward for a fabulous overall performance.

For Kessie, though, it’s nothing unusual. That’s just how he operates - for club and country. Cast your mind back to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations when, despite a lacklustre group stage, Cote d’Ivoire turned around their fortunes in the knockout rounds to storm to the title.

When they were 1-0 down and needing a goal late in the Last-16 against Senegal, who stood up? Kessie. He scored an 86th-minute penalty to level and then took the decisive fifth spot-kick in the shootout to win the game and send his side into the quarter-finals.

Then, in the final, again with his side trailing 1-0 to Nigeria, it was Kessie who found the equaliser that allowed Cote d’Ivoire to go on and win the game - and a third AFCON title.

To describe Kessie as the heart of a side is on one hand accurate, but on another a gross understatement. Above all else, however you measure him, Franck Kessie is simply himself.