http://tinyurl.com/rs4he Eboue provides for club and family By Roy Collins (Filed: 14/05/2006) Most young Premiership footballers have so little to occupy them outside the game that it is small wonder they fritter their millions away on Lamborghinis and bling or, like Wayne Rooney, make substantial donations to the poor bookmaking fraternity. They might develop a different perspective if they spent some time in the company of Arsenal's Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, both from the war-divided Ivory Coast, whose families are dependent on their financial help for the basics of life. It is a particularly onerous burden, if one he accepts readily, on Eboue, who has been an Arsenal regular for only four months and who, at the age of 23, finds himself as the main provider for three generations of his family. （Eboue一家三代都靠他） He says: "I've got a big family, like Kolo, and everyone counts on me. I want to do my best for them and I send money to my parents, to my grandparents and, of course, money for the children in the family. I've also tried to help them out by finding houses and jobs for them." His name now opens employment doors in Abidjan, the most affluent city in the Ivory Coast and once known as "the Paris of West Africa" because of its parks and exotic fashions but since the 2002 civil war, it has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world. As well as charity, the pair dispense faith and hope to all their fellow Ivory Coast citizens with their displays for club and country. Toure, a devout Muslim who prays every day, says: "The only thing we can do for the country as football players is to play very well every game. "When they see us play in Europe, they feel a part of us and that gives them happiness and means a lot to us. I can tell you that everyone in the Ivory Coast will be an Arsenal fan on Wednesday, particularly as Eto'o [Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona] is from Cameroon because the two countries don't really like each other. You could say it's a bit like Arsenal and Spurs." （原來象牙海岸與柯麥隆也有類似的德比情節，周三晚象牙海岸人都會替槍手加油） Given their backgrounds, it is understandable not just that Eboue and Toure, who has been outstanding all season, play with such energy and enthusiasm but that they see nothing to fear from Barcelona and Ronaldinho in Wednesday's Champions League final in Paris. Eboue says: "I'm really happy to be playing alongside Kolo because I've known him since we were children and I'm grateful for the way he has helped and encouraged me. I'm not afraid to be playing against Ronaldinho, even if he is one of the world's top players. I'm going to learn from the experience and I am going to try to use my speed against him. "It's a dream for me and difficult to believe that after such a short time at Arsenal I am playing in the Champions League final. But I have already achieved a lifetime ambition by playing against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu -the stadium of my dreams." He would not have featured then had it not been for the injuries to Lauren and his replacement Kerrea Gilbert that left Arsenal desperately short at right-back. Eboue, on loan to the Gunners from feeder club Beveren until manager Arsene Wenger paid ?1 million for him in January 2005, had just returned from the African Nations Cup, where Ivory Coast lost in the final. But, typically, Wenger, who somehow convinced midfield man Mathieu Flamini that he could play at left-back to solve another injury crisis, persuaded Eboue, previously deployed in midfield, that he was the ideal man to play at right-back against Madrid. Remarkably, in only his seventh start for Arsenal, with three of the others coming in the Carling Cup, Eboue completely snuffed out the danger of Robinho, who is expected to become one of the stars of Brazil's World Cup bid this summer. （Eboue本來是踢中場，是溫格說服他踢右後衛，就像溫格說服Flamini一樣，結果 Eboue成功的守住巴西的Robino） "I wasn't scared," says Eboue, "the boss told me how to play the match and I managed to defend against him for the whole game." Ronaldinho can never be described as just another name on an opposing team sheet. But having experienced the dangers and problems in his home country, Eboue has grown beyond fear in a mere game of football. He says: "I will prepare for the final in the same way as I have prepared for every other match. The manager does not give us individual advice. Everybody knows their role and what he expects and we believe we can win the final." Victory could mean more than money to Eboue, who many believe will retain his place at right back even when Lauren is available. He says: "Lauren is someone who's taught me a massive amount since I joined. He's given me lots of advice and support and he's happy when he sees me in the team. He's a really nice guy and not the type to get jealous about it. I just hope he makes a quick recovery." （Eboue也很感謝勞倫給他的建議與支持，他也希望勞倫的傷趕快康復） Eboue is not, he says, worried about his own place in the team. And given the difficult circumstances of his life outside football, what is there for him to worry about? --

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