Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (French pronunciation: [didje dʁɔɡba]; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who is the current owner-president of Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship. Drogba is widely regarded by critics, pundits and players as one of the greatest African players of all time and widely considered to be the greatest Ivorian player of all time.
Drogba played for Le Mans, Guingamp and Marseille in Ligue 1 before moving to Chelsea in the Premier League in 2004. He scored 164 goals in 381 appearances for Chelsea across two spells, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and one UEFA Champions League title. Drogba also played for Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League, Galatasaray in the Süper Lig, and Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer.
A full international for Ivory Coast from 2002 to 2014, Drogba represented his country at three FIFA World Cups and African Cup of Nations. He served as captain of the Ivory Coast national team for eight years, and was named African Footballer of the Year twice.
Drogba is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation. He was named to the CAF Team of the Year seven times, and was elected to the UEFA Team of the Year in 2007. In 2009, he was named the African Football Confederation's Player of the Decade. In 2020, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Early life
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily was born on 11 March 1978 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the son of Albert and Clotilde Drogba. He has a brother, Joël, and a sister, Isabelle. Drogba's father was a banker and his mother worked as a hairdresser.
Drogba grew up in Abidjan, where he played football in the streets with his friends. He was a talented young player, and was soon spotted by scouts from local club AS Abidjan. Drogba joined the club's youth academy in 1991, and quickly progressed through the ranks.
Club career
Early career
Drogba made his professional debut for AS Abidjan in 1998, at the age of 20. He scored 11 goals in 17 appearances for the club, and helped them to win the Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division title.
In 1999, Drogba moved to France to join Le Mans in Ligue 2. He scored 15 goals in 34 appearances for the club, and helped them to win promotion to Ligue 1.
In 2002, Drogba joined Guingamp in Ligue 1. He scored 17 goals in 34 appearances for the club, and helped them to finish seventh in the league table.
Marseille
In 2003, Drogba joined Marseille in Ligue 1. He scored 32 goals in 55 appearances for the club, and helped them to finish second in the league table.
Chelsea
In 2004, Drogba joined Chelsea in the Premier League for a fee of £24 million. He made his debut for the club in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 15 August 2004. Drogba scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on 21 August 2004.
Drogba quickly established himself as a key player for Chelsea, and scored 16 goals in 40 appearances in his first season at the club. He helped Chelsea to win the Premier League title and the League Cup in his first season, and was named the PFA Player of the Year.
In the 2005–06 season, Drogba scored 33 goals in 50 appearances for Chelsea. He helped the club to win the Premier League title and the FA Cup, and was named the FWA Footballer of the Year.
In the 2006–07 season, Drogba scored 20 goals in 47 appearances for Chelsea. He helped the club to win the League Cup and the FA Cup, and was named the Chelsea Player of the Year.
In the 2007–08 season, Drogba scored 19 goals in 45 appearances for Chelsea. He helped the club to win the Premier League title and the FA Cup, and was named the Chelsea Player of the Year.
In the 2008–09 season, Drogba scored 37 goals in 53 appearances for Chelsea. He helped the club to win the Premier League title and the FA Cup, and was named the PFA Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year.
In the 2009–10 season, Drogba scored 29 goals in 42 appearances for Chelsea. He helped the club to win the Premier League title and the FA Cup, and was named the Chelsea Player of the Year.
In the 2010–11 season, Drogba scored 16 goals in 38 appearances for Chelsea. He helped the club to win the Champions League, and was named the UEFA Champions League Man of the Match.
Drogba left Chelsea at the end of the 2011–12 season, after scoring 157 goals in 341 appearances for the club. He is the club's fourth-highest goalscorer of all time.
Shanghai Shenhua
In 2012, Drogba joined Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League for a fee of £25 million. He scored 11 goals in 11 appearances for the club, and helped them to finish fifth in the league table.
Galatasaray
In 2013, Drogba joined Galatasaray in the Süper Lig on a free transfer. He scored 18 goals in 53 appearances for the club, and helped them to win the Süper Lig title and the Turkish Cup.
Return to Chelsea
In 2014, Drogba returned to Chelsea on a one-year contract. He scored four goals in 16 appearances for the club, and helped them to win the Premier League title.
Montreal Impact
In 2015, Drogba joined Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer. He scored 11 goals in 33 appearances for the club, and helped them to win the Canadian Championship.
Retirement
Drogba announced his retirement from professional football on 8 November 2018.
International career
Drogba made his international debut for Ivory Coast in 2002. He was a member of the Ivory Coast squad that competed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Drogba was the captain of the Ivory Coast national team from 2006 to 2014.
Drogba is Ivory Coast's all-time leading goalscorer with 65 goals in 105 appearances. He was named the African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009.
Personal life
Drogba is married to Diakité Lalla, and they have three children together. He is a Christian, and has his own foundation, the Didier Drogba Foundation, which he established in 2007 to help disadvantaged children in Africa.
