Maybe it was ‘written in the stars’.
Once they had survived two group stage defeats, a range of fightbacks and a change of coach mid-tournament the Ivory Coast’s name seemed to be on the trophy.
In the end, in a reversal of fortune, they deservedly beat Nigeria before a sea of orange shirts in the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
The man himself was there to enjoy the moment alongside heroes such as Didier Drogba.
It was the Elephant's third AFCON crown and by far the most dramatic.
Their ex-player Emerse Fae had taken over as coach after their disastrous loss to Equatorial Guinea and it was he who picked Sebastien Haller to start in both the semi and final.
The Borussia Dortmund frontman, a cancer survivor, proved the match-winner in both those matches.
In the 81st minute of the final, he converted Simon Adingra’s cross to set off amazing celebrations both inside the stadium and all over the country.
Unlike his more highly rated Nigerian counterpart, Victor Osimhen, Haller benefited from work done by his widemen, especially Adingra.
The Brighton man was one of the undoubted breakout stars of the competition and he duly received the Best Young Player award.
Many expected a tight final contest and so it proved although the Ivorians did more of the pressing in the first period with Max Gradel delivering a range of corners.
However, it was a corner at the other end that dampened down the noise when the Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, rose well to head in for 1-0.
Troost-Ekong would go on to pick up the Best Player award for his solid defensive performances.
But his team would not hold on to their advantage as the Ivorians equalised early in the second half from one of their driving forces, Franck Kessie.
Again it was from a set play.
In which Kessie was aided by indecision from the Nigerian goalie and loose marking at the back post
At 1-1 the momentum had changed.
With the Super Eagles star man, Osimhen, well marshalled by the home defence Jose Peseiro's men struggled to create significant chances.
Before Adingra broke down the left and provided the delivery for hero Haller to guide in the winner.
Quite how IC could be beaten so decisively in the group stage and become champions of Africa took some working out.
But it happened, much to the great delight of the local fans who danced the night away and were still celebrating the following day as their heroes did a tour of Abidjan.
AFCON 23 produced plenty of drama, in very hot conditions, and in its expanded format showed off the depth of African football.
There were plenty of shocks including the early exit of Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and the holders, Senegal, plus the emergence of Cape Verde and the re-emergence of South Africa.
Perhaps the superstars were not quite so obvious but Haller’s goals and the transformation of the Ivory Coast team will be remembered for a long time in this part of Africa,
Analysis from Abidjan - John Bethell
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