PHILADELPHIA, June 25 (Reuters) - Nicolas Pepe justified his World Cup selection with two goals on Thursday, coming out of the cold to restore his reputation as a key striker for the Ivory Coast.
Seven months ago, Pepe was a fringe figure as he was left out of the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, but back for the World Cup he proved his worth as his double against Curacao meant the Ivorians advanced to the knockout stages for the first time at their fourth attempt.
Pepe was also not initially picked
for two warm-up friendlies in March, but after injury ruled out teenage striker Yan Diomande for the games against South Korea and Scotland, he won a surprise recall and wasted no time in reminding coach Emerse Fae of his ability with the only goal against the Scots.
Finishing the LaLiga season at Villarreal in scoring form then also helped him win back a berth in the squad for the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
It has been a rocky road for the 31-year-old who sparked controversy in December for comments made in a YouTube video about Morocco's poor record at the Cup of Nations, for which he later apologised.
But he said he had been subjected to racial abuse online as a result and accused the Ivorian federation of not supporting him, while also questioning whether he would continue with his international career.
It led to a few frosty answers at the time from Fae about Pepe’s future, but on Thursday the coach was full of praise for the 31-year-old.
LINES OF COMMUNICATION ALWAYS OPEN
"I think that episode with Nico is behind us. He and I have always had lines of communication open, and I was always clear with him, telling him why he was not being picked," Fae said.
"So now we're very happy to have the player we know and love with us. I think he's turned a corner and, as far as the squad is concerned, he brings great experience to the table.
"On the pitch, we had no doubts whatsoever as to what he was able to give us, and we're very happy to be able to ride on his good form," added Fae.
Paris-born Pepe was a record signing at Arsenal, who bought him from Lille for a reported 72 million pounds ($94.95 million) in mid-2019, but never lived up to the hype and expectation and faded from contention after Mikel Arteta took over as manager.
He eventually agreed to terminate his five-year contract one year before it was due to expire and, after a spell in Turkey, slowly began to find form again in Spain.
His national team career included being part of the 2023 Cup of Nations winning side, although he was dropped from the teams for both the semi-final and final.
($1 = 0.7583 pounds)
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Atlanta; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
