LISBON, Sept 3: Chelsea’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho on Saturday praised Africa’s football talent, saying top players continue to emerge from the impoverished continent.

“Africa is a continent which continues to produce, or perhaps it is better to say see born, talent after talent,” he wrote in his weekly column in sports daily Record.

“I can’t imagine what Africa would be like if it had more developed conditions,” he added.

Mourinho and Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich are scheduled to attend Sunday’s World Cup qualifier between the Ivory Coast and Cameroon in Abidjan.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will be playing for Ivory Coast while the London-based club’s midfielder Geremi will be part of Cameroon’s line-up.

“The Ivory Coast-Cameroon match will certainly be a much more motivating football match than the majority of European qualifiers, where those who are qualified are already practically known,” said Mourinho.

“For Portuguese clubs without economic power to buy supervalued talent it might not be a bad policy to invest in African football,” he added.

Mourinho said Chelsea’s new signing Ghanaian international Michael Essien was a prime example of the talent coming out of the continent.

“The boy has incredible physical power, he is super-resistent and strong, with great speed and unending tactical abilities, pyschologically apt to the demands of football at this level, ambitious and easy to integrate,” he said.

“A great, great player,” he added.

Chelsea signed Essien last month from French champions Lyon for 38 million euros (47 million dollars), making him Africa’s most expensive player.—AFP