Viewers on DStv and GOtv saw Ivorian veteran Gervais Yao Kouassi – better known simply as Gervinho – continue his form for Parma in Serie A this past weekend.
The 32-year-old scored his third goal of the season as Parma held Fiorentina to a 1-1 draw away from home on Sunday, a result which leaves them a respectable 10th place on the log and looking good to remain a part of Italy’s top division for the foreseeable future.
In addition to his three goals, Gervinho has registered three assists and boasts both an impressive passing accuracy (84.7 percent) and stamina, having played in 969 of a possible 990 minutes so far in the 2019/20 campaign.
The wiry attacker is clearly a key man for the Gialloblu and has the complete trust of manager Roberto D’Aversa. Given that Gervinho scored 11 goals in 30 appearances last term and was a major factor in Parma avoiding relegation from Serie A, it’s safe to say that he is building quite a legacy at Stadio Ennio Tardini in the twilight of his career.
Born in Anyama outside of Abidjan, Gervinho came through the ranks at ASEC Mimosas before moving overseas for the first time in 2005, joining Begian club Beveren. He gradually built up his reputation with Beveren, as well as Le Mans and Lille in France, before Arsenal came calling in 2011.
The Ivorian spent two relatively unsuccessful seasons with the Gunners before having his first spell in Serie A, where he greatly impressed in his first season (2013/14) with Roma, but fell away somewhat over the next campaign and a half.
In January 2016 he signed for Chinese Super League Hebei CFFC, but his two and a half seasons in the Far East produced just 29 appearances and four goals. In August 2018 he returned to Italy by signing for Parma, and has quickly become a cult figure for the Gialloblu.
On the international front, Gervinho debuted for the Ivory Coast in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana and has gone on to rack up almost 90 caps since then. He has represented the Elephants at the Olympics, two World Cups and five AFCON tournaments – including their triumph in 2015 in Equatorial Guinea.
You can see Gervinho in action again this weekend when Parma host Roma at 19:00, LIVE on SuperSport 8 & Select 5.
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Gervais Yao Kouassi – Player profile
Born: 27 May 1987 in Anyama, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Position: Forward
Club career:
2005-2007 – Beveren (Belgium) – 61 appearances / 14 goals
2007-2009 – Le Mans (France) – 67 / 14
2009-2011 – Lille (France) – 93 / 36
2011-2013 – Arsenal (England) – 63 / 11
2013-2016 – Roma (Italy) – 88 / 26
2016-2018 – Hebei CFFC (China) – 29 / 4
2018-present – Parma (Italy) – 42 / 16
International career:
Ivory Coast senior team debut – 25 January 2008, Ivory Coast 4-1 Benin – Africa Cup of Nations, group stage
Caps / goals: 84 / 22
2019/20 Serie A statistics:
Appearances: 11
Minutes played: 969
Goals: 3
Assists: 3
Yellow cards: 2
Red cards: 0
Shots per game average: 2.3
Passing completion percentage: 84.7
Average passes per game: 16.6
Key passes per game average: 1.2
Dribbles per game average: 1.8
Fouled per game average: 0.6
Offside per game average: 0.9
