Marc Wilmots has been appointed as Cote D’Ivoire coach, the Ivorian football federation announced in Abidjan on Tuesday.
The 48-year-old Belgian succeeds Frenchman Michel Dussuyer, who resigned days after the 2015 African champions crashed out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in the group stage in Gabon.
Wilmots is expected to arrive in the Ivorian economic capital Abidjan on Tuesday evening and will hold a press conference on Wednesday, according to officials.
He signed a two-year contract with an option to extend for an additional two years.
With five goals, the former attacking midfielder is Belgium’s all-time top scorer at the Fifa World Cup.
He later managed the team between 2012 and 2016, working with a crop of star players including Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City’s duo Vincent Kompany and Kevin de Bruyne.
The Elephants will play international friendly matches against Russia and Senegal on March 24 and 27 respectively.
