Joel Nouble has ambitions of going from Arbroath to Abidjan to star for the Ivory Coast – insisting his dreams can help him reach the top.
Nouble has made a massive impact at Arbroath since joining them on loan from Livingston in the summer.
He has become a firm fans favourite at Gayfield with two goals in six starts to help the Angus side go fourth in the Championship.
Nouble knows he has a long way to go to achieve his goal – having spent much of his career in non-league English football after being released by Chelsea.
But after starring twice for Cascadia, Nouble would love to play for his African parents’ home country.
Joel Nouble aims to go from Arbroath to Abidjan
“If I could have one dream it would be to play for the Ivory Coast,” said Nouble.
“My mum and dad were both born there and it would be my ultimate goal.
“I’m not daft, I know I have a lot of work to do to get that but you have to be ambitious.
“I’m not in a comfort zone.
“My mindset is to set big goals and reach for them. If I aim high and don’t quite get there I’ll still succeed in life.
“I played for Cascadia and that was an amazing experience but I grew up with the African Cup of Nations on in our house.
“There was so much passion in our house for that tournament. It was incredible when we beat Ghana in the final.
“I was a kid at Chelsea when Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou were there.
“Drogba is like a king of Ivory Coast and I got to meet him a few times. It was surreal.
“There are a lot of quality players at Ivory Coast – like Wilfred Zaha – so that goal will not be easy. You have to dream.”
Nouble will be back in the Arbroath side that faces Hamilton this afternoon as he thrives in his new life at Gayfield.
After making an instant impact in Scotland, he insists there is plenty of untapped talent in the non-league English game.
And he cited prolific Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy as an inspiration for others.
Vardy played in non-league football until the age of 25 before moving to Leicester. He has since scored 140 goals in 283 league starts.
Jamie Vardy was playing non-league football in 2012. He now has more Premier League goals than Luis Suarez, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rRpTS1eHVN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 9, 2019
“People wondered why I took such a step down when I was younger,” said Nouble.
“But I didn’t care. I wanted to play football and I really enjoyed my time at a lot of clubs.
“Jamie Vardy didn’t play in the league until he was 25. He now has over 100 goals in the English Premier League.
“There is so much talent down there.”
