Most experts call Didier Drogba the most famous and successful Ivorian footballer in history. This is evidenced by many indicators. In particular, he is the top scorer of the national team of his country (in 104 games he scored 65 productive strikes) and the first African player to score 100 goals in English Premier League matches.
Childhood
The future football star was born in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) on March 11, 1978. At the age of five, the parents moved the boy to live with his uncle in France, and in 1991 they moved there themselves. From childhood, Didier devoted a lot of time to sports, so he entered the academy of the Levalois semi-professional club, in which his career began. Initially, the guy acted as a right-back, but over time, the coach decided to make him an attacker. At this time, he encountered a number of difficulties. The fact is that local teenagers did not like Didier and constantly threatened him, demanding that he play worse. Anyway, very soon he tried his hand at an adult team, but because of the hostility of her mentor, he did not play in it.
Football career in France
After graduating from a local high school, the guy moved to the city of Le Mans, where he attended accounting courses. In parallel, the athlete performed in the “youth team” of the local club. The numerous goals of Didier Drogba in its composition contributed to the fact that in 1999 the guy was offered the first professional contract. During his first season here, he managed to score seven goals in thirty games. As a result, he got a place in the main team, which over time lost due to injury. Having failed to gain a foothold in Le Mans, in the winter of 2002 he acquired Guingamp for 80 thousand pounds of a football player. Over the first six months, in 11 fights, the player scored 3 important goals, which helped the team stay in the elite division. The following season, he already had 17 goals in 34 games (the third indicator in the tournament). Such performance could not be unnoticed by the French grandees. Not surprisingly, in the offseason, Marseille bought his contract for 6 million euros. During the first season in the new team, the striker scored 31 assists in 55 matches.
Chelsea
During the confrontations with Porto in the Champions League, rival coach Jose Mourinho was very impressed with Didier Drogba. Chelsea, which he led in the new season, initially offered 28 million euros for a football player, but was refused. After the club raised the price by another 10 million, the president of Marseille agreed to a deal. The football player himself then admitted that no one forced him to move to London, so he would have gladly stayed in a French club. At the same time, according to him, there are proposals that can not be refused either financially or in terms of sports, although he agreed to the transition not because of money. On July 30, 2004, the player made his debut for the new team in a friendly match against Roma. Replacing after a break, the player scored a goal already in the 68th minute.
During the first period of performances in London, Didier Drogba scored 100 goals in 226 games, and also managed to win the English championship and the Champions League. It should also be noted that in the final game of the most prestigious European championship against Bayern, it was he who equalized in 88 minutes, and later realized a penalty shoot-out. In that match, the Ivorian was named the best player.
A change of scenery
After completing the contract with Chelsea in 2012, as a free agent, Didier Drogba moved to China, signing a contract with Shanghai Shenhua. The footballer himself later admitted that among all the offers, he chose this particular team only in order to change the situation and gain new experience. Be that as it may, in the Celestial Empire he did not linger for a long time. Six months later, the player went on loan to Galatasaray, for which he scored 15 goals in 37 matches. After the season ended, the Ivorian returned to London, signing a one-year deal with Chelsea. During this time, he entered the field 28 times and scored 4 goals. The match against Sunderland on May 24 was the last for Didier Drogba in a blue T-shirt, which he announced before the start of the match. The footballer brought the team to the field with a captain's armband, but due to an injury he was replaced after half an hour.
The representative of the American MLS league, the Montreal Impact club, was the next challenge for Drogba Didier (where he plays now). The footballer scored his debut ball for this team in the second meeting. In that game against the Chicago Fire, he managed to score a hat trick.