An African Giant Didier Yves Drogba Tébily Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he has scored more goals than any other foreign player and is currently the club’s fourth highest goal scorer of all time. He was named African Footballer of the Year twice, winning the accolade in 2006 and 2009.
Didier Drogba was born on March 11, 1978, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He emigrated to France at an early age and there he became a star soccer player. After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans, and signed his first professional contract aged 21.
In July 2004, Drogba moved to Premier League club Chelsea for a club-record £24 million fees, and became the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season, he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, and a year later he won another Premier League title.
In March 2012, he became the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals. Just two months later, he scored in Chelsea’s 2012 FA Cup Final win over Liverpool to become the first player to score in four separate FA Cup finals. With a career record of scoring 10 goals in 10 finals winning 10 trophies at club level, Drogba has been referred to as the “ultimate big-game player.
Given his relatively late breakthrough into professional football, Drogba has often been described as a late bloomer, having signed his first professional contract with Le Mans at the age of 21. He was noted for his physical strength, speed, ability in the air, powerful and accurate strikes, and his ability to retain possession of the ball. Richard Beech of the Daily Mirror says that his “powerful and intrusive approach made him the lone striker José Mourinho grew to admire, and made it nearly impossible for opposing teams to isolate him and freeze him out of the game”.
Top striker and Highest Goal Scorer, Drogba is renowned for performing in big games, with a goalscoring record at club level of 10 goals in 10 finals winning 10 trophies. Aside from his goalscoring ability, Drogba is also capable of providing assists to his teammates. Between the 2009–10 and 2011–12 seasons, he managed 24 assists in the Premier League, with an average pass success rate of 61.4 percent, owing to his vision and creativity on the ball. He provided 71 assists to teammates over the course of his entire career at Chelsea until May 2012, showing that he is also a team player. He gained global attention after he scored the winning goal in a penalty shootout against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final.
Drogba is often ranked as one of the top three greatest African strikers, with George Weah and Samuel Eto’o. In set pieces, Drogba has also been known for his free-kick ability, known to strike the ball with power and pace. Dr. Ken Bray of the University of Bath has described him as a specialist especially from central positions, and says that he “really just passes the ball very hard”. He adds, “He hits it very straight and appears to hit the ball with a very powerful side-foot action, almost like the technique used in a side-foot pass. Drogba’s style is about beating the goalkeeper with speed and depth.”
Drogba’s trademark goal celebration saw him slide on his knees accompanied by an arm pump and a salute to fans – his celebration appears in EA Sports’ FIFA video game. His diverse and robust playing style has seen him frequently cited as the toughest striker numerous defenders have had to face, these include Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Chris Smalling, Nemanja Vidić, and Laurent Koscielny.
On 8 August 2014, Drogba announced his retirement from international football with a record of 65 goals in 105 appearances. On 12 April 2017, after nearly four months as a free agent and declining a move to Corinthians, Drogba signed for USL side Phoenix Rising FC. He also became an owner of the club, making him the very first player-owner in football history.
He made his debut for the club on 10 June 2017, and scored a goal and an assist, leading the team to a 2–1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. In July 2017, Drogba attracted attention after scoring an impressive last-minute free kick in a game against Orange County to tie the game. On 7 August, he scored with a powerful 40-yard free kick against LA Galaxy reserve side which was followed by his classic knee-slide goal celebration in front of the bench.
In November 2018, at the age of 40, Drogba scored against Orange County as Phoenix won the USL Western Conference. On 8 November, Phoenix lost the USL Championship game 1–0 at Louisville City FC. Drogba retired later that month at the age of 40. Afterwards, on 11 December, he became Vice President of the international organization Peace and Sport.
Drogba is also credited with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country. After the Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms, a plea which was answered with a cease-fire after five years of civil war. Drogba later helped move an African Cup of Nations qualifier to the rebel stronghold of Bouake; a move that helped confirm the peace process. On 24 January 2007, Drogba was appointed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a Goodwill Ambassador.
As a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Drogba has taken part in the annual Match Against Poverty alongside Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. He has appeared in the 2012 and 2015 games. Levallois Sporting Club, the amateur club where Drogba began his career, used their percentage of his transfer fees including £600,000 out of the £24 million paid when he joined Chelsea – first to ensure the club’s survival, and then to improve their stadium to incorporate modern sports facilities for the benefit of the local community. They renamed the new stadium Stade Didier Drogba in his honour.
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