Didier Drogba

Early life

Drogba is a member of the Bété people. He was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and at age five was sent to France by his parents to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer. But Drogba became homesick and returned to Abidjan after three years. His mother nicknamed him "Tito", after president Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, whom she admired greatly. He played football every day in a car park in the city, but his return to the Ivory Coast was short-lived. Both his parents lost their jobs and he again went to live with his uncle. In 1991, his parents also travelled to France, first to Vannes and then in 1993 settling in Antony, at which point the 15-year-old Drogba returned to live with them and his siblings. There he began playing team football more frequently, joining a local youth side. Drogba then joined the semi-professional club Levallois, gaining a reputation as a prolific scorer in the youth team and impressing the coach with his professional attitude. His performances earned him a place in the senior squad but despite scoring in his debut, he failed to impress Jacques Loncar, the first-team coach.

Club career

Le Mans

When Drogba finished school he moved to Le Mans to study accountancy at university and changed clubs, becoming an apprentice at Ligue 2 club Le Mans. His first two years there were marred by injuries and he physically struggled to cope with the training and match schedule. Former Le Mans coach Marc Westerloppe later said, "it took Didier four years to be capable of training every day and playing every week". Furthermore, Drogba had never attended a football academy and only began daily football training as an adult.

By age 21, Drogba realised that he had to establish himself as a player soon or he would have little chance of becoming a professional. He made his first team debut for Le Mans soon thereafter and signed his first professional contract in 1999. The same year, he and his Malian wife Alla had their first child, Isaac. He grew into his new responsibilities, later saying: "Isaac's birth was a turning point in my life, it straightened me out". His first season, in which he scored seven goals in 30 games, boded well for the future, but during the next season he did not live up to expectations. Drogba lost his place to Daniel Cousin due to injury, and upon his return, failed to score for the rest of the season. He returned to form the next season, scoring five goals in 21 appearances.

Guingamp

Halfway through the 2001–02 season Ligue 1 club Guingamp consolidated months of interest with a transfer offer and Drogba left Le Mans for a fee of £80,000. The second half of the 2001–02 season saw Drogba make 11 appearances and score three goals for Guingamp. While his contributions helped the club avoid relegation, the coaching staff remained unconvinced of their new young striker. But the next season he rewarded his coaches' patience, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances and helping Guingamp finish seventh, a record league finish. He credited his teammates for his impressive season, highlighting the contributions of winger Florent Malouda, a longtime friend of Drogba, as a key factor in his goalscoring prolificity that season. His strong goal scoring record attracted interest from larger clubs, and at the end of the season, he moved to Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille for a fee of £3.3 million.

Marseille

Olympique de Marseille signed Drogba on 30 June 2003. He played his first match in his new colours on 2 August 2003, during the first matchday of the 2003–2004 season against his former club, Guingamp. In that season Drogba emerged as one of the highest European scorers. He scored 19 league goals, winning the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Player of the Year award. He also scored 11 goals in European competitions, five goals in UEFA Champions League and six in the UEFA Cup.

At the end of the season, Drogba was a transfer priority of newly endorsed Chelsea coach José Mourinho, and was bought as the club's then record signing of £24 million. His shirt from his only season at Marseille is framed in the basilica of the city, Notre-Dame de la Garde, which he presented to the church before the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

Chelsea

Signing for Chelsea in July 2004 for £24 million, he became the club's record signing and the most expensive striker in English domestic football. Drogba scored in his third game for the club with a header against Crystal Palace. His season was interrupted when he pulled a stomach muscle against Liverpool which kept him out of action for over two months. Chelsea won the Premier League, only their second English top-flight championship and their first in 50 years, and the League Cup. Later, Drogba scored in extra time in a 3–2 final win against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. Drogba scored a somewhat disappointing 16 goals in a total of 40 games for Chelsea in his first season: ten in the Premier League, five in the Champions League and one in the League Cup final.

Drogba started the 2005–06 season by scoring two goals in a Community Shield win over Arsenal. His reputation was marred amidst accusations of cheating during Chelsea's 2–0 win over Manchester City. Replays showed that he had used his hand to control the ball before scoring the second of his two goals. This occurred just a week after a similar incident against Fulham where the goal was disallowed.

Chelsea went on to retain the league title with two games to play, becoming only the second club to win back-to-back English titles in the Premier League era. Again Drogba finished with 16 goals for the season, 12 in the Premier League, two in the Community Shield, one in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup.

After the departure of Damien Duff to Newcastle United, Drogba switched from the number 15 shirt he had worn for Chelsea since 2004 to the number 11 shirt vacated by Duff. Drogba scored 33 goals in all competitions during the season (more than his tally in the previous two seasons combined), including 20 in the Premier League to win the Golden Boot. In doing so, he became the first Chelsea player since Kerry Dixon in 1984–85 to reach 30 goals in a season, scoring 20 in the Premier League, six in the Champions League, three in the FA Cup and four in the League Cup.

Among the highlights were scoring game-winners from outside the penalty area against Liverpool, Everton (from 35 yards out) and Barcelona, a 93rd-minute equaliser against Barcelona at the Camp Nou and both Chelsea's goals in their 2–1 League Cup final win over Arsenal. His goal against Liverpool saw him control the ball on his chest with his back to goal before hitting a 20-yard half-volley on the turn. Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said, "There's not a lot you can do in certain situations because they were that good." He also completed two hat-tricks; one against Watford and the other against Levski Sofia in the Champions League, Chelsea's first hat-trick in European competition since Gianluca Vialli in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1997. In his last competitive game that season, he scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. This also meant he became the only player to score in both English domestic finals in the same season and win both.

Shanghai Shenhua

On 22 May 2012, Chelsea released a note on their official website announcing that Drogba would leave the club when his contract expired at the end of June 2012. On 19 June 2012, Drogba declared he would join Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, linking up with his former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka. It was reported that he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal for £200,000 a week. On 22 July, Drogba made his debut for Shanghai Shenhua in a 1–1 away draw against Guangzhou R&F, coming on as a substitute for Brazilian defender Moisés in the second half. He assisted Cao Yunding's equaliser in the 67th minute. On 4 August, he scored his first two goals in a 5–1 win against Hangzhou Greentown. He scored two more goals on 25 August, both set up by Anelka, as Shenhua drew 3–3 with Shandong Luneng.

Galatasaray

On 28 January 2013, Drogba agreed to a one-and-a-half-year deal with Süper Lig team Galatasaray. He would earn a sign-on fee of €4 million plus basic wage of €4 million per season, €2 million for the remaining 2012–13 Süper Lig and €15,000 per match. However, on 30 January 2013, Shenhua released a press release that Drogba would unilaterally breach his contract if he were to join Galatasaray.

Drogba argued that he had not been paid his wages by the club and asked FIFA, the sport's governing body, to invalidate his contract. In February 2013, FIFA granted a temporary license for him to play for Galatasaray pending the outcome of the contract dispute.

On 15 February, Drogba scored his debut goal for Galatasaray just five minutes after coming off the bench against Akhisar Belediyespor in a match that ended 2–1. On 9 April, he scored his first goal for Galatasaray in the Champions League quarter-final game, against Real Madrid. On 20 April, Drogba scored twice in a match against Elazigspor that ended 3–1.

He won his first title with Galatasaray on 5 May, with a 4–2 win over Sivasspor. In Galatasary's derby match against Istanbul rivals Fenerbahçe on 12 May, Drogba and his Ivorian teammate Emmanuel Eboue were subjects of racist chants from opposing fans in the team's 2–1 loss, but no fine or bans were handed down to the supporters or the club. On 11 August, he scored the only goal in the 2013 Turkish Super Cup against the same opponents, and he scored two second-half goals in a 2–1 away win against fellow city rivals Beşiktaş on 22 September, although the match was abandoned due to hooliganism from fans of the opponents.

Return to Chelsea

On 25 July 2014, Chelsea announced that Drogba completed his return to the club on a free transfer, and signed a one-year contract. Of his move back to the club, Drogba said:It was an easy decision. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with José Mourinho again. Everyone knows the special relationship I have with this club and it has always felt like home to me. Mourinho also commented on the transfer, saying: "He's coming because he's one of the best strikers in Europe. I know his personality very well and I know if he comes back he's not protected by history or what he's done for this club previously. He is coming with the mentality to make more history." On 28 July 2014, Chelsea announced that Drogba would wear the number 15 shirt he wore when he first signed for the club in 2004. Mohamed Salah, who wore the number during the 2013–14 season, took over the number 17 shirt vacated by Eden Hazard. But on 15 August, it was announced that Drogba had been given back the number 11 shirt he previously wore at the club, with its previous occupant Oscar taking over the number 8 jersey vacated by Frank Lampard.

Drogba made his Premier League return for Chelsea in a 3–1 win away to Burnley, replacing winger Eden Hazard in the 84th minute at Turf Moor on 18 August 2014. On 17 September he made the first start of his second spell, in a 1–1 home draw against Schalke 04 in Chelsea's first game of the Champions League group stage. He scored his first goal in his second spell at Stamford Bridge on 21 October, converting a penalty kick in a 6–0 win over Maribor in the Champions League. Five days later, with Chelsea's attack limited by injuries to Diego Costa and Loïc Rémy, Drogba started against Manchester United at Old Trafford, making his 350th appearance for the club. Early in the second-half, he headed in the first Premier League goal of his second spell although Robin van Persie equalised in added time. He scored his 50th goal in European football against Schalke 04.

On 24 May 2015, Drogba announced that Chelsea's final game of the season against Sunderland would be his last as a Chelsea player. He started the game as captain and was substituted with injury after half an hour, being carried off by his teammates in an eventual 3–1 win. Drogba's final total of 104 goals was the most by an African in Premier League history until it was surpassed by Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah in 2021.

Montreal Impact

On 27 July 2015, Drogba signed a Designated Player contract with Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact, believed to be 18 months in length. On 23 August, he made his debut in a 0–1 home loss against the Philadelphia Union, coming on as a substitute for Dilly Duka in the second half. On 5 September, Drogba scored a hat-trick on his first MLS start, the first player to do so in the league's history. Additionally, it was considered a "perfect hat-trick", with one goal scored with either foot and one with the head. He was September's MLS Player of the Month after scoring 7 goals in his first 5 games in the league.

On 25 October, he scored both of the Impact's goals from back heels as the team came from behind to defeat Toronto FC 2–1 at home in the Canadian Classique; the win gave Montreal the home advantage for their knock-out fixture against Toronto in the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs. Drogba finished the 2015 MLS regular season with 11 goals in 11 games. On 29 October, Drogba scored Montreal's third goal in a 3–0 home win over Toronto in the knock-out round of the Playoffs, to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals for the first time in the club's history; they were eliminated by Columbus Crew SC. He was named one of the three finalists for the 2015 MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.

During the MLS offseason, recently appointed Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink revealed interest in bringing on Drogba in a short-term coaching capacity after Drogba visited Stamford Bridge to watch a Chelsea match with Hiddink and owner Roman Abramovich. Montreal then reiterated their intent for Drogba to finish his contract with the club, but were left uncertain until Drogba publicly confirmed his intent to play with Montreal for the 2016 MLS season on 3 March 2016. After beginning his preseason training in Qatar away from the club, Drogba joined the Impact for the second half of their preseason training in St. Petersburg, Florida. On 3 March, club technical director Adam Braz announced that Drogba would not play matches on artificial turf to begin the season due to possible implications on his knee.

In July 2016, Drogba was included in the roster for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game, scoring in a 2–1 defeat to Arsenal on 28 July. On 14 October, following his exclusion from the starting lineup of a match against Toronto FC by manager Mauro Biello, Drogba refused to play for the team that night, removing his name from the squad. With both his fitness, due to a lingering back injury, and his role in the team in question, Drogba did not travel with the team to, although he was in attendance at, their first postseason match at D.C. United, a 4–2 victory on 27 October. Drogba did not experience the same level of success in his second regular season compared to the first, but still scored 10 goals while appearing in only 22 games, as Montreal reached the Conference Final of the 2016 Playoffs.

Phoenix Rising

On 12 April 2017, after nearly four months as a free agent and declining a move to Brazilian side Corinthians, Drogba signed for USL side Phoenix Rising FC. He also became a minority owner of the club.

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, but remained with his final club to work on their bid to join MLS.

International career

As the talisman of the team Drogba contributed to the Ivory Coast qualifying for its first ever FIFA World Cup, held in Germany in 2006. Following the victory over Sudan that clinched World Cup qualification he also played a pivotal role in helping to end the Ivorian civil war by making an impassioned speech to the camera which resulted in a cease fire.

In February 2006, Drogba captained the Ivory Coast to their second Africa Cup of Nations final, scoring the only goal in their semi-final match with Nigeria and putting away the deciding spot-kick in their record-tying 12–11 penalty shootout quarter-final win over Cameroon. However, they lost in the final to Egypt 4–2 on penalty kicks after a 0–0 draw, with Drogba's shot being stopped by Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Ivory Coast were drawn in a "group of death" with Serbia and Montenegro, the Netherlands and Argentina. On 10 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. The Ivory Coast were eliminated from the World Cup after their next game, a 2–1 defeat to the Netherlands, but came from 0–2 down to win against Serbia and Montenegro 3–2 in their final group game, with Drogba watching from the sidelines following suspension after picking up a yellow card in the previous two games.

In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast were drawn in a group with Nigeria, Mali and underdogs Benin. Drogba scored two goals in the group stage, opening the scoring in the 4–1 win over Benin, as well as in the 3–0 win over Mali. In the quarter-finals, Drogba was on the score sheet once again in the 5–0 win over Guinea with the last four goals coming in the final 20 minutes. The semi-final was a rematch of the 2006 final against Egypt, and Drogba and the Ivory Coast lost 4–1 to the eventual champions. On 9 February, Drogba lost 4–2 to hosts Ghana and thus ended their run in the playoffs.

Drogba scored six goals in five qualification games to help the Ivory Coast qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Drogba scored one goal in the 3–1 victory against Ghana in the group stage. The Ivory Coast reached the quarter-finals but lost 2–3 to Algeria. In March 2010, he was named as the 2009 African Footballer of the Year, his second time winning the award in his career.

Player profile

Drogba made his debut into football at the age of 21, much later than most footballers. He was known for his physical strength, aerial abilities, pace, and most notably, his powerful and accurate strikes. He played as a right-back in his youth due to his ability to hold the ball with his back to goal. He often played as a centre-forward throughout his professional career and is referred to as a "target man" by Martin Li of Bleacher Report. 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." Carl Anka of the BBC writes, "Drogba's robust playing style was so effective that he spearheaded the movement of the Premier League from the 4–4–2 era to a time where [sic] the 4–3–2–1 formation was king."

Drogba is known for performing in big games, with a record of 10 goals in 10 finals and winning 10 trophies. Carl Anka writes, "Local derbies, top four six-pointers, title challenges or cup finals — if the game was big, Drogba got bigger". Drogba was also capable of assisting his teammates. Between the 2009–10 and 2011–12 seasons, he provided 24 assists in the Premier League, with a successful pass rate of 61.4%. He provided a total of 71 assists during his Chelsea tenure.

Drogba was known for taking free kicks. Dr. Ken Bray of the University of Bath has referred to him as a free kick specialist and said 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." Bleacher Report states that he used the "knuckleball" technique developed by Juninho Pernambucano. Drogba's trademark goal celebration saw him slide on his knees accompanied with an arm pump and a salute to fans – his celebration appears in EA Sports' FIFA video game.

Drogba is widely regarded as one of the three greatest African strikers alongside George Weah and Samuel Eto'o. Several defenders, including Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Chris Smalling, Nemanja Vidić, and Laurent Koscielny, have stated he is among the toughest forwards they ever faced.

Outside football

Personal and family life

Drogba was married to Lalla Diakité, a Malian woman he met in Paris, and the couple had three children together. His eldest son, Isaac, was born in France in 1999, grew up in England, and played in the Chelsea academy system. He signed for French club Guingamp in February 2018. Drogba has two younger brothers who are also footballers: Joël and Freddy Drogba. Freddy, born in 1992, played in French Ligue 1 side Dijon FCO. He is a devout Roman Catholic. His uncle Michel Goba was a professional footballer and Ivorian international. His cousin Kévin Goba (Michel's son) was also a professional footballer who played in the lower leagues of France. In a statement posted on Instagram in January 2021, Drogba confirmed his divorce with his wife Lalla, saying that they had a mutual agreement. “I'm not in the habit of discussing my private life. But because of speculation in the media today, I can confirm that sadly, after 20 years together, Lalla and I took the difficult decision to separate last year... We remain very close and our main priorities have been to protect our children and our family's private life. May God bless you.”

Philanthropy

Drogba is credited with helping bring peace to his country. After the Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup by defeating Sudan on 8 October 2005, Drogba made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms, a plea which was answered with a ceasefire after five years of civil war. Carl Anka writes, "torn by religious and political tensions, Drogba seized a unifying moment for his country and invited TV cameras into the Elephants changing room where he made a speech to the camera. The man spoke and a nation listened — the elections went off without bloodshed." Drogba helped move an African Cup of Nations qualifier match to the stadium 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. The UNDP were impressed with his charity work and believed that he would help raise awareness on African issues. His involvement in the peace process led to Time magazine naming Drogba one of the world's 100 most influential people for 2010.

Drogba's charity work continued when, in late 2009, he announced he would donate the £3 million signing on fee for his endorsement of Pepsi for the construction of a hospital in his hometown of Abidjan. This work was done through Drogba's recently created "Didier Drogba Foundation" and Chelsea announced they too would donate the fee for the deal toward the Foundation's project. Drogba decided to build the hospital after a trip to Abidjan's other hospitals, saying, "I decided the Foundation's first project should be to build and fund a hospital giving people basic healthcare and a chance just to stay alive." The same year, Drogba teamed up with sportswear company Nike (which sponsors him) and U2 frontman Bono on the eve of World AIDS Day to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Drogba said, "It's a big honour and pleasure for me to be linked with Bono and try to help him save some lives. AIDS and HIV is something that really destroyed Africa, and people don't really realise how easy it is to save lives — only two pills a day, which is 40 cents."

In November 2014, Drogba appeared in FIFA's "11 against Ebola" campaign with a selection of top football players from around the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale and Xavi. Under the slogan "Together, we can beat Ebola", FIFA's campaign was done in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football and health experts, with the players holding up eleven messages to raise awareness of the disease and ways to combat it. On 22 February 2018, Drogba, former AC Milan striker and current Liberia President George Weah, and teenage French prodigy Kylian Mbappé had a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the Élysée Palace in Paris that focused on a sports development project in Africa.

Media

On 2 December 2019, Drogba co-hosted the 2019 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris alongside journalist Sandy Heribert. On 29 November 2021, the duo co-hosted the next ceremony in 2021 which saw Lionel Messi receive the men's award for a record seventh time whilst Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d'Or Féminin. They also hosted the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions of the award.

Career statistics

International

Source:

Honours

Marseille

UEFA Cup runner-up: 2003–04

Chelsea

Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15

FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12

Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07, 2014–15; runner-up: 2007–08

FA Community Shield: 2005, 2009

UEFA Champions League: 2011–12; runner-up: 2007–08

Galatasaray

Süper Lig: 2012–13

Turkish Cup: 2013–14

Turkish Super Cup: 2013

Phoenix Rising

Western Conference (USL): 2018

Ivory Coast

Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2006, 2012

Individual

Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2006, 2012

Africa Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2012

African Footballer of the Year: 2006, 2009

Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2007

Barclays Spirit of the Game Award: 2015

BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2009

Records

Chelsea

Most goals scored by a non-English player: 164 goals.

Most goals scored in Cup Finals: 9 goals.

Most goals scored in European club competitions: 36 goals.

Most Premier League hat-tricks: 3 hat-tricks (shared-record).

Most Premier League goals in a season: 29 goals in 2009–10.

Most Premier League Golden Boot wins: 2 (2006–07 and 2009–10).

Most Premier League away goals scored in a season: 15 in 2009–10.

Most goals in all competitions in a season by a foreign player: 37 goals in 2009–10.

First player to score a Champions League hat-trick.

Oldest player to score in the Champions League: 36 years, 8 months, 14 days.

Other

Most goals and assists combined for with another player in the Premier League: 36 with Frank Lampard.

One of seven players to score an opening weekend Premier League hat-trick.

One of six players to score a hat-trick in consecutive Premier League games.

The only player score in and win both English domestic cup finals in the same season.

The only player to score in three League Cup finals.

The only player to score in four FA Cup finals.

Most goals scored at the New Wembley Stadium: 8 goals.

Oldest African goalscorer in the Champions League: 36 years and 259 days old.

Most appearances in the Champions League by an African player: 94 matches.

One of eleven players to score hat-tricks for multiple clubs in the Champions League.

Ivory Coast national team all-time top scorer: 65 goals.