Ivory Coast Head Coach Henri Michel has handed a surprise call up to Lazio’s Christian Manfredini for Wednesday's World Cup warm-up against Spain in Valladolid, the Ivorian Football Federation announced on Saturday.

The 30-year-old left-footed midfielder was born in the Ivory Coast but was adopted by an Italian family at the age of five, and apart from a brief spell at Spanish side Osasuna in the 02/03 season, has spent his entire playing career in Italy.

Manfredini had previously rejected calls from the Ivory Coast to play for them, but now, with the opportunity to play in the World Cup Finals, the Lazio man has jumped at the chance.

Coach Henri Michel has also given a first senior call-up to goalkeeper Stephan Loboue, who plays for German second division side Paderborn, and has also recalled four other players which were left out of the squad for last month's African Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt, in which the Elephants lost to the hosts in the final.

Seydou Kante who plays in Belgium, along with Tchiressoa Guel, Abdelkader Keita and Kandia Traore, who all play in France’s Championnat, can all now stake their claim for a place in the World Cup squad for the finals in Germany after having missed the Cup of Nations, and will be out to impress Henri Michel.

Ivory Coast have been drawn in Group C, one of the toughest World Cup groups, where the Ivorians will face Argentina, the Netherlands and Serbia & Montenegro.

Ivory Coast squad to face Spain (team to be chosen from):

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Beveren, Belgium), Stephan Loboue (SC Paderborn, Germany), Jean-Jacques Tizie (Esperance, Tunisia)

Defenders: Arthur Boka (Racing Strasbourg, France), Cyrille Domoraud (Creteil, France), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal, England), Seydou Kante (Beveren, Belgium), Blaise Kossi Kouassi (Troyes, France), Abdoulaye Meite (Olympique Marseille, France), Kolo Toure (Arsenal, England)

Midfielders: Kanga Akale (AJ Auxerre, France), Emerse Fae (Nantes, France), Tchiressoa Guel (Lorient, France), Christian Manfredini (Lazio, Italy), Christian Koffi Ndri (Le Mans, France), Gneri Yaya Toure (Olympiakos Piraeus, Greece), Didier Zokora (St Etienne, France)

Strikers: Didier Drogba (Chelsea, England), Bonaventure Kalou (Paris St Germain, France), Abdelkader Keita (Lille, France), Arouna Kone (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Bakary Kone (Nice, France), Kandia Traore (Le Havre, France).

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