- Name: Didier Drogba
- Nationality: Ivorian
- Date of Birth: 11/03/1978
- Height: 1.89m
- Weight: 91kg
- Position: Striker
- Previous Clubs: Marseille, Guingamp
- Current Club: Chelsea
Didier Drogba, the scintillating striker is the envy of every football coach. Drogba excels with his pace, accuracy and set-piece execution. More than everything, he has the uncanny knack to be there at the rival goal post, when the opportunity is there.
Drogba currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Ivory Coast national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's 8th highest goal scorer of all time.
After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut at the age of 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans.He signed his first professional contract at 21 but it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realised his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Ivory Coast in September and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 and finished as the third highest scorer in the league with 19 goals and making it to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.
But he really bloomed as a star striker only after reaching Chelsea in July 2004. Drogba scored 16 goals in 40 games for Chelsea in his first season: 10 in the Premiership, five in the Champions League and one in the League Cup final.
Next season, Chelsea retained the league title and Drogba played a major role in this back to back victory. He finished with 16 goals for the season, 12 in the league, two in the Community Shield, one in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup
2006-07 was a great season for Drogba, scoring 33 goals, more than the previous two seasons at Chelsea put together. And despite injuries and on field controversies, Drogba became Chelsea's top scorer in Champions League, including the two goals he scored in the semifinal against Liverpool taking his tally to 17, in 2007-08.
Haunted by injuries and difference of opinion with Scolari, the then Chelsea coach, 2008-09 was the worst year for Drogba. However Scolari was sacked and Drogba was back in action and also regained his touch, scoring four goals in five games after Hiddink took over.
The current season is proving to be a successful one for Drogba. He scored his 100th goal for Chelsea in October 2009 and has so far scored 10 goals, despite being away for one month to lead Ivory Coast in the African Nations cup.
Drogba helped Ivory Coast qualify for its first ever World Cup, held in Germany in 2006. He is the leading scorer for the Cote d'Ivoire team. His first cap came on 8 September 2002 against South Africa and he scored his first goal on 11 February 2003 against Cameroon in a 3–0 victory. He scored nine goals in eight qualifying games—one of the best records in international football.
On 11 June 2006, Drogba scored the first World Cup goal of his career and of his country's history in the opening game against Argentina, but his team lost 2–1. Even though, not much is expected from Ivory Coast in the 2010 Cup, Drogba is bound to be a point of attraction for his fans across the world. |
